The Uchiha Clan: Returning to Konoha
by pinkrose064
Summary: Twelve years after Sasuke met his brother's family, the secret survivors of the Uchiha are finally returning to Konohagakure. As it turns out, there are more survivors than Sasuke originally thought. How will the people of Konoha react to the true return of the Uchiha Clan? On Hiatus/Being Partially Rewritten
1. Close and Distant Relatives

"Whew. I think that's everything from our place." Uchiha Amai said as she placed a parcel on a cart. A woman a few years younger than Amai nodded to her.

"There's still an item or two left in ours. I'll go inside and grab them while you guys secure everything." The woman said as she set her young daughter on her feet, kissed her husband on the cheek, and then headed inside her home. This was Uchiha Aiko, the younger cousin and apprentice of Amai's late husband, Uchiha Itachi.

"It's hard to believe that we're finally moving to Konoha." Amai's daughter, Uchiha Tamana remarked.

"It's always felt like a distant dream." Tamana's twin brother Dango agreed. Although they looked less similar to each other now that they were teenagers, the twins still bore a striking resemblance to their father. Dango's long hair was tied into a low ponytail, the same way that his father had worn it at that age. Tamana's hair was styled similarly, but divided into two low twin-tails in a style reminiscent of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. Both of them had deep brown hair that was almost black.

"Well, Nozomi is old enough to enter the Academy, so now it's becoming a reality." Aiko's husband, Uchiha Koujirou remarked as he tied down their belongings. Like Amai, he had married into the Uchiha Clan, but since he did not come from a shinobi clan himself, he had taken Aiko's last name, although this was a secret from the village where they had been living up until now.

Aiko and Koujirou's daughter, Uchiha Nozomi, was standing next to her father as he secured things. Suddenly she noticed something and tugged on her father's pant leg to get his attention. "Huh? What is it, Nozomi?" Koujirou asked as he knelt down beside his daughter. Nozomi didn't answer him directly, but she pointed at what she was looking at in the forest near their house. A man who was standing in the shadows of the trees quietly came forward. Amai and the twins were instantly on their guard and even Nozomi retrieved a kunai from the holster on her leg and held it in a defensive manner.

"Good afternoon. I am looking for the woman named Aiko, who should reside in this house." He said before looking at the five people before him, "Would one of you be so kind as to go and call for her?" None of them moved. Koujirou, having not been trained as a Shinobi, had no idea what was going on, but the other members of the group had no intentions of letting down their guards. Seeing this, the man sighed. "I see. It seems I'll have to get her attention then." He suddenly produced a black rod from seemingly nowhere and threw it. Koujirou immediately realized that his target was Nozomi and, acting purely on instinct, he dove forward and shoved his daughter aside.

He let out a strangled cry as Nozomi screamed, "Papa!"

The stranger dashed toward Nozomi but found his path swiftly blocked by Amai, who fended him off with the kodachi that had been in hidden within the sleeve of her kosode, and he jumped back to avoid it.

"I see..." The man said, "You never officially became a Shinobi and your husband died sixteen years ago, yet you haven't slacked in your training in the slightest." Amai narrowed her eyes at him, but he looked past her at the too-still Koujirou. "A pity. I was aiming away from his daughter's vital spots, but his attempt to protect her has cost him his life."

"I don't even want to know what you were thinking, trying to attack a little girl in such a way!" Amai exclaimed, though her voice belied how in control she was of herself.

"What is going on out here?!" Aiko's voice came from around the side of the house before the assailant could answer. Her eyes fell upon where Nozomi was sitting on the ground, trembling beside her lifeless father. "Koujirou-kun!" Aiko wailed in despair as she rushed toward her husband and daughter. She stopped short, not allowing herself to fall on her knees as she took in Koujirou's still form. She suddenly turned and glared at his killer. "What is the meaning of this, Jigen?! Or should I say Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?!" She demanded.

Jigen frowned, "I admit that I wasn't expecting you to know quite that much..." He shook his head. "I apologize for your husband's death. He misread my intentions."

"Don't speak as if you actually care about the lives of humans." Aiko said venomously, "You Ōtsutsuki look down on us as mere garbage. That hasn't exactly changed in the last thousand years and I doubt it ever will."

"Hm... you're quite knowledgeable about the past. Is that something that Uchiha Itachi taught you about, or did you learn of it from your contacts in Konoha?" He asked.

"Neither. My father did historical research in his spare time." Aiko replied, "He managed to uncover basically everything regarding Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the long history of shinobi that followed her downfall."

"I see... then I'll get right to the point." Jigen told her, "I know that you are the disciple of Uchiha Itachi and that you specialize in gathering information. Kara is in need of new members. I came to invite you to work as one of our Inners."

Aiko snorted in contempt, "You killed my husband while attempting to do who-knows-what to my daughter, and you think that I would _help_ you? It's clear that you don't actually know anything about me."

At Amai's beckoning, the twins gathered close to Aiko and her family, coming within range just in time as bright pink chakra swirled up around her and within seconds, shaped itself into a perfect Susanoo.

"Oh... A member of the Uchiha Clan, huh?" Jigen mused, "I will admit that _that _is a surprise."

Aiko ignored him as she began to speak, "Sasuke-niichan, listen to me. I don't have time to explain, but what you've been seeing is the effect of my visual prowess. I'm going to end the connection, so please come here as fast as you can."

"Aunt Aiko, exactly how long have you had that jutsu active?" Dango asked.

"Since the very beginning." Aiko answered plainly.

"Aiko! Nozomi-chan has passed out!" Amai called urgently.

"She's probably exhausted her chakra." Aiko said as calmly as she could manage, "Dango, you need to divert your chakra away from your eyes. Look after Tamana. I think she's in shock."

"Understood." Dango said, kneeling next to his sister, who had fallen on her knees, staring at Koujirou's lifeless body. Up until now, he hadn't even noticed that his world had been dyed red, but now that Aiko had said something, he focused on redirecting his flow of chakra in order to avoid wasting any more than he already had.

Jigen seemed impassive as he rose into the air to be at eye-level with the Uchiha woman. "Do you really think you can take me?" He asked.

"No." Aiko said flatly, "I'm well aware that if you used your full power, you could break through my Susanoo quite easily. Nonetheless, this is the only thing that I can do to protect my family."

Before Jigen could reply, a purple fist came barreling out of a space-time rift towards him, although he dodged it with easy.

"Aiko! What is going on?!" Uchiha Sasuke asked as his own Perfect Susanoo formed around him.

"Can we discuss that _later_?!" Aiko asked, "He's already killed my husband, he's not taking anymore of us! Our clan is small enough as it is."

Sasuke nodded, fixing his eyes on Jigen, who had turned his attention to the last, pure-blooded Uchiha. However, as Jigen was debating what tactic he should use against the two Susanoo, he failed to notice Amai retrieving a peculiar kunai from within her clothes. A crackle of electricity was the only warning he got before the kunai went flying at him, quickly breaking the sound barrier. He briefly disappeared and a distant mountain crumbled as it was struck by the kunai.

"Did you get him?" Dango asked.

"No." Aiko replied instantly, her gaze shifting to Sasuke, "I have an idea. It's risky, but it may be all we have. If it fails, I'm counting on you to get everyone to safety. I don't care how many dimensions you have to jump through."

Sasuke nodded without looking at her, but Amai spoke up.

"But Aiko-chan, you're—"

"It doesn't matter." Aiko said bluntly. "I don't have the luxury of worrying about that now."

Suddenly Jigen attacked Aiko with a heel drop, which she blocked with the fan created by her Susanoo. He seemed to be interested in what she and Amai had been saying. "Oh? Is it possible that you're—"

"Big mistake." Aiko said, having locked eyes with him.

Jigen looked around, his surroundings having suddenly turned black and red with a white moon. He was bound with sealing chains as he looked at Aiko standing alone before him. "I see. Tsukuyomi, huh? I suppose it's only fitting that Itachi's pupil would possess that ability."

"Since you already know what this is, I can save time on the explanation." Aiko said tonelessly. "It will only be 1/100 of one-billionth of a second in the real world, but in here, every member of my clan that I possess any memory of will bombard you with kunai for the next four years. Even my precious daughter, whom you tried to harm."

Jigen raised a brow at her. "Such an interesting way of torturing an enemy. May I ask why?"

"Members of the Otsutsuki tend to be unfazed by pain, but you do experience humiliation in your own way." Aiko said as her clan members came forward. "For you, who came to this planet with Kaguya, who looks down on humans and consider us inferior, what could be more humiliating than to be tortured for years by an entire clan of her descendants? A clan that, for centuries, were the unwitting pawns of Kurozetsu. Men, women, and children, the vast majority of whom are already dead as a result of Kaguya's manipulation? And yet, despite that... despite all of hers and Kurozetsu's efforts and manipulation... She was once again defeated, and they were both sealed away... at the hands of her own descendants." Aiko produced a kunai of her own and threw it, the rest of her clan following suit.

It had only been a mere instant since Aiko had caught Jigen's gaze within the real world, so everybody else was slightly shocked when the man suddenly fell unconscious and plummeted to the ground. Aiko fell to her knees, panting, her Susanoo receding, but Sasuke caught her and all of the others in the hand of his own Susanoo, and she looked up at him. "That... cart... has all of our belongings on it." She managed before passing out in Amai's arms.

Sasuke nodded, picking up the cart with his other hand and quickly fleeing into a space-time portal, Susanoo and all.

一族

Somewhere in a completely different dimension, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Neesan, explain." He insisted bluntly.

Amai sighed, unable to blame her brother-in-law for his frustration. "I don't know if you were told, but we're supposed to move to Konoha today. When Aiko-chan went inside to retrieve something, that guy, Jigen or Isshiki or whoever he is, showed up. Apparently, he wanted to recruit Aiko-chan as a member of Kara. He threw a black chakra at Nozomi-chan. I think he was planning to take her hostage to obtain leverage, because he said that he was aiming away from her vitals. But when Koujirou realized that Jigen was aiming for his child, he shoved Nozomi out of the way and was killed by the rod. He may not have been a shinobi, but he still possessed the instinct to protect his child. Aiko-chan came out immediately afterward." Sasuke nodded in understanding and Amai looked at her much taller brother-in-law with a hint of fear in her eyes. "I don't understand though. I attacked that man with Denjyuudou Douteki. How could he have possibly dodged it?"

"It's possible that he has some knowledge of the technique. He may have sensed the electrical current used to propel the kunai and then shrunk himself to a size that only the Sharingan could see in order to avoid the attack." Sasuke speculated.

At that moment, Aiko groaned and carefully sat up.

"Aiko-chan, how are you feeling?" Amai asked with worry.

"I'm fine. I don't think I overexerted myself." Aiko answered, "My body just didn't like that very much."

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked.

"Tsukuyomi." Aiko replied, "I honestly wasn't sure if it would work against that guy or not, and he'll probably recover from it far easier than a normal person, but I had to at least try, since physical attacks were of relatively little use. To increase my chances, I compressed a relatively large amount of time into a significantly small interval."

"It worked well enough for me to get you guys to safety. That's what counts." Sasuke said. "Now that you're awake, let's get moving. I have just enough chakra left to open a portal to Konoha."

"In a moment." Aiko said as she walked over to the wagon that she and the others had been packing and rummaged through it before pulling out a sheet and turning to Amai, who had walked over to her, holding the piece of fabric out. "We can... We can wrap Koujirou-kun in..."

Amai nodded, her face filled with sympathy and understanding as she hugged Aiko gently. "Dango and I will take care of it. It's going to be okay, Aiko-chan." She reassured her gently.

Aiko sighed sadly. Sasuke, seeing that she needed a moment, walked over to his niece, who was still sitting on the ground, though she was no longer in shock and was now cradling the unconscious Nozomi. "Are you all right, Tamana?" He could see that the teenaged girl was horrified by what she had just witnessed.

"My eyes hurt..." Tamana replied while reaching up and rubbing her eyes with one hand. Sasuke's expression grew more worried as she sniffled and continued, "If only I had been faster... I could've..."

Sasuke reached forward and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Tamana." He said gently.

"Sasuke-kun is right." Amai said from where she was tending to Koujirou's body with Dango, "Nozomi-chan will probably blame herself too, but the fact is that she was far out of her league. Koujirou-kun knew what he was risking when he shoved her aside."

"Then his target was actually this child?" Sasuke asked. Although Amai had mentioned it earlier, he had not been formally introduced to Nozomi.

"Yes." Amai replied sadly. "She's Aiko-chan's daughter and was the first of us to notice him. I think he had been suppressing his chakra to mask his approach. In fact, I'm certain of it." Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement and then realized that he was curious about something, "What about your right eye? You said it was only your left eye which can cast the Tsukuyomi."

"The ability of my right eye is called Hijichoumoku." Aiko replied, "It's a visual prowess that allows me to see and hear things through somebody else's eyes, or to let them see what I see. It's the perfect visual prowess for spying and gathering information. Using it in reverse allows me to contact allies when I'm in trouble, as you literally saw. In the war, I mostly used it to keep track of what was happening on the battlefield. Now I've been trying to gather information on Kara and other threats via my network of unwitting spies. My power works by first marking a person anywhere on their body. Then, I can activate it without their knowledge. I placed the mark on you when we were outside the shrine that night. It enabled me to literally have you be my eyes on the battlefield. The mark also allows me to sense whether or not a person who bears it is still alive and track them from anywhere, provided we're in the same dimension. I occasionally travel to other villages here and in the Land of Steam to mark people who are likely to come into contact with persons of interest. Since they don't _know _that I'm using them as a spy, it doesn't put them in any danger, but it can be hard to determine the correct target sometimes."

"Out of curiosity, what would you have done if I _wasn't _available to come help you?" Sasuke asked, "For that matter, how did you know that I wasn't in the middle of a battle myself?"

"I could sense that you were in Konoha, so the odds of you being in battle were low." Aiko answered. "If you hadn't been in the same dimension, I would've likely contacted Naruto-kun instead. I placed the same mark on him years ago, but I've never used it for anything except to keep track of whether he was alive. He's the Hokage after all. To be honest, if there were a way to remove it, I would probably do so, just so nobody would have reason to question my intentions."

Sasuke nodded in understanding, "It's better if we don't say anything about it. As you said, it does serve as a means to at least know he's alive."

* * *

Notes: So this is the beginning of a new story of mine about the other the Uchiha Clan truly being reestablished in Konoha.

EDIT: 01/20 I've edited this two times now. The first was to change the villain. The second was to make sure everything stays consistent within the series.


	2. The Place Where I Belong

The Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, was busy training his adopted son, Kawaki, with his biological son Boruto, and Boruto's teammates, Sarada and Mitsuki, by his side.

Suddenly a whirling black vortex which they all recognized as a space-time rift opened up. Kawaki and the new Team 7 all tensed, but Naruto held out his hand to assure them things were fine. Nonetheless, he looked vaguely confused when Tamana and Dango stepped out of the portal, bringing the wagon with them, followed by Amai, Aiko, and Sasuke with the still unconscious Nozomi in Amai's arms.

"Papa!" Sarada exclaimed in mild surprise as she rushed over to her father, having not expected him to open a rift right in the middle of the training field, Naruto quickly following.

"Why'd you suddenly appear with, um..." Naruto didn't bother to finish his sentence.

"It's no surprise that you don't know." Amai said. "I recall Shikamaru-san saying that he would have Rokudaime go over the paperwork in your place."

"Paperwork?" Naruto asked, looking even more confused.

"Neesan!" Sasuke's wife, Uchiha Sakura, suddenly exclaimed as she entered the training field, "You told me you were coming today, but I didn't think you meant like _this..."_

"We were attacked, Sakura-chan." Amai replied, "If it hadn't been for Aiko-chan's visual prowess and Sasuke-kun's aid, who knows what would've..."

"Huh? Aiko-san?" Sakura asked in confusion. She only grew more confused when she took in the sight of Aiko's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Aiko said nothing to Sakura, only looking at the form wrapped in a bedsheet in the back of the cart, her eyes filling with tears.

"Aiko-chan..." Amai said with concern.

"I'm sorry, Amai-neechan... but could you look after Nozomi for a little while longer?" Aiko asked, "I... I need to be alone for a bit..." Without waiting for a reply, the brunette suddenly disappeared.

Amai sighed sadly, her expression grievous. "She must be in so much pain... I was at least prepared for it when Itachi-kun passed, but... Aiko has lost someone she loves yet again..." She looked up at Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun, could you go look after her, please? You might be the only one who can understand what she's feeling right now... And it's really not safe for her to be alone."

"I don't mind, but I don't know where she would've gone..." Sasuke admitted.

"The forest a little beyond the Uchiha Training Grounds, most likely..." Amai speculated, "That was where she used to play when she was Nozomi's age. It's where she met Naruto-kun when they were young. But she's level-headed enough not to go beyond the sensory barrier under the circumstances."

Sasuke nodded before looking at the others, "Naruto, look after Neesan and the others for me. She can explain things to you." He looked at the cart that had been brought with them, "The body in the sheet there needs to be prepared for burial."

"Who exactly is it?" Sakura asked, even though he suspected that he already knew.

"Aiko-chan's husband, Koujirou..." Amai said softly.

Sasuke noticed that Tamana was rubbing at her eyes again and sighed before looking at Sakura, "Sakura, see if you can find something to soothe the pain in Tamana's eyes."

"Sure, but... wouldn't it be better for me to just to correct the problem?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"It would if there were a problem for you to fix." Sasuke replied before disappearing to go after his cousin.

"So what happened?" Naruto asked, and Amai sighed.

"Like I said, we were attacked." Amai replied. "...by Jigen..."

The others immediately tensed and Naruto's gaze hardened a bit.

"What did he want...?" The Orange Hokage asked.

"He wanted to recruit Aiko-chan into Kara, apparently." Amai replied, "He threw a black chakra rod at Nozomi-chan. He said he was aiming away from her vitals, so I suspect he intended to take her hostage. However, Koujirou-kun's reaction speed was much higher than I had thought. He pushed Nozomi-chan out of the way, but was killed in the process."

"How terrible..." Sarada lamented.

Amai frowned as she nodded, her brow furrowed with concern. "There's more though. He didn't directly state it, but he indicated that, somehow, he _knew_ about my marriage to Itachi-kun." She looked up at Naruto and Sakura, her anxiety obvious, "How could he have found out though? That entire matter is incredibly classified information. Only those present for the Agreement of the Three Tomoe and the top brass in Konoha knew of it until just now."

"There's isn't much that we know about Jigen, or Ōtsutsuki Isshiki as it were." Naruto admitted, his expression thoughtful. "It's possible that he found out even before Itachi died."

Amai frowned thoughtfully, fiddling with a strand of her hair in thought, "Now that you mention it... the Shirozetsu used during the war knew about us, which means that Kurozetsu did as well. Isshiki came to this planet with Kaguya. There's no telling how much contact he and Kurozetsu had with each other."

"Wait, what do you mean that Kurozetsu knew?" Sakura asked.

"The link between the Shirozetsu and Kurozetsu allowed him to gather intel from everywhere without detection." Amai explained, "The Shirozetsu attacked me after I had hidden from the Infinite Tsukuyomi in an attempt to drag me into it. But Kurozetsu was their commander, so he must've known about me too." She sighed softly, "If the Sage of Six Paths hadn't come to my aid that night... I and the twins would've..."

"So the Sage helped you out too?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Naruto, that's not important right now." Sakura scolded.

"At any rate, as much as he knew about the twins and I, he seemed to be unaware of Aiko-chan's heritage." Amai pointed out, "He was surprised when she began using her Susanoo to protect all of us."

"She's a survivor of the Uchiha, right?" Sakura asked, "But how?"

"She left the village about a year before the tragedy." Amai answered, "Thank goodness she was Itachi's pupil. I'm quite certain that's part of why we made it out alive. Most of us at least..."

At that, the others fell silent.

一族

Sasuke found Aiko sitting beside the Nakano River in the forest, curled into a ball and sobbing like a child. With a sympathetic expression, he walked over to her and sat down beside her. Sensing his presence, she lifted her head slightly and sniffled.

"It always seems to happen this way..." She whimpered, "My mother and father both died protecting me... and now Koujirou-kun has died protecting Nozomi." Her breath hitched and she continued, "Maybe it would be better for everyone if I disappeared... the people I love most... always end up dying for me... Nozomi might be safer without me here."

_All that we love and hold so dear could disappear one day without warning_

_We fear if we get too close to it, we'll lose it all in a heartbeat_

"I understand how you feel, Aiko, but what you're saying is absurd." Sasuke told her as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Nozomi needs you now more than ever. She just lost her father, how do you think she would feel if her mother just left her after that?" Aiko said nothing as she looked back at her knees, silently acknowledging Sasuke's point. "I know how you feel." Sasuke told her, "When I began growing close to my team as a genin, I was terrified of how it would feel to lose them all over again. 'I lost everything once... I don't want to see any precious comrades die right before my eyes again.' I said that to Naruto when we were fighting Gaara back then. I was so afraid of that, that I left Konoha. Back then, I thought that unless I gained the power to defeat Itachi, I'd be unable to protect them. For that same reason, even though I could've killed Naruto in the Valley of the End at that time, I didn't. I told myself it was because I was following a different path than my brother, but in reality, I was afraid of seeing him die, and even more afraid of being responsible for it. At that time, I truly intended to return to Konoha after killing Itachi, because I'd have the power to protect them." His gaze saddened as he recalled those days, "However, when I learned the truth about Itachi and our clan, I snapped. I had never wanted to see someone precious die in front of me again, but that was exactly what had happened when I battled Itachi. After that, lots of things didn't seem to matter anymore. I was scared to think of anybody as being precious ever again. Acknowledging Naruto meant acknowledging the fear that I'd been running away from." Sasuke smiled wryly, "But in the end, Naruto was persistent and stubborn, and eventually, I found that I could no longer run away... from him or from the fear I didn't want to face. And I mean that in a rather literal sense. When you're lying half-dead and unable to move at the bottom of a destroyed valley, it becomes pretty hard to run from your own thoughts and fears, to say nothing of the words of the friend lying beside you."

Aiko looked up at him with her own wry smile, remembering that day all too well before she said, "And yet, from what I hear, you're hardly ever home. You still tend to put distance between yourself and the ones you love."

"That's because there are things that only I can do." Sasuke remarked, "It's not because I'm afraid of being close to them." He looked at the river, "After the war, there was a time when I believed I didn't deserve to be in Konoha and be with the people I treasured. It was Naruto who finally convinced me that it was where I truly belonged, in a letter that he wrote to me after the exploding humans incident."

Aiko's expression turned nostalgic. "Where you belong, huh...?" When Sasuke looked at her in confusion, she elaborated, "I chose this spot for a reason. Apparently, our families were once very close. My father's position in the clan was as your father's right-hand and advisor. That was his birthright, according to the rules of the clan. However, sometime after Danzo began using the Kyuubi incident to persecute us, your father dismissed Otousan from his post. He understood and respected my father's feelings, but believed my father's ideas on how to restore peace between the clan and the village were too simple to be realistic. After that, my parents withdrew from the clan a bit. It wasn't that they had any hard feelings, but most of the clan had been caught in the Curse of Hatred, and my parents didn't want to risk drawing that hatred toward me because of their own strong belief in the Will of Fire. However, it was in this very spot that I learned that even though we held different beliefs, the Uchiha Clan was where I belonged..."

子供の時

_'It was during the time of Itachi-niichan's Chuunin Exam, in the thirty-day period between the second and third rounds. Otousan had brought me to this forest to play hide-and-seek with him. In his mind, it was the most practical form of training for a child only four years of age. A means to teach stealth, tracking, and how to avoid being found. Skills that could be useful, even for a child, in times of danger.'_

_"Are you ready, Aiko?" Uchiha Nichi asked his young daughter._

_"Yes Papa!" The little girl chirped cheerfully._

_"Then–" Nichi stopped short and frowned, feeling a wave of chakra pass over them. Genjutsu. He was highly skilled in these techniques and resistant enough that his chakra remained unfazed. He moved forward to ensure that Aiko would be all right, but she quickly formed a sign with her hands._

_"Kai!" The child exclaimed, instantly freeing herself from the genjustu._

_"Oh... I knew you would be skilled, but I didn't expect that your daughter would already be able to dispel genjutsu at her age." A voice said. Aiko instinctively hid halfway behind her father's leg as three shinobi and a kunoichi from the Hidden Stone appeared._

_"You guys... are here for the Chuunin Exam, aren't you?" Nichi asked, "So why did you attempt to catch us in a genjutsu?"_

_"To be honest, I expected that you would resist the genjutsu, so it was only to make your daughter fall asleep." The oldest and only adult of the group answered before chuckling, "Leave it to the Uchiha Clan."_

_"That doesn't answer my question. What is your business with us?!" Nichi demanded._

_"Hm. To think that the talented analyst, Shimura Megumi would have a child with Uchiha Nichi, the one that they say is as brilliant as the sun." The Jonin replied._

_Nichi's eyes widened, "Aiko, listen to me. I want you follow Danger Plan Number 1. Go!"_

_"Right!" Aiko exclaimed, quickly rushing away as her father activated his Sharingan. The three genin moved to follow her immediately. Nichi tried to stop them, but found his path blocked by their Jonin instructor._

"_I'm afraid that I'm your opponent right now."_

_'My father had taught me various procedures that he called "danger plans" that I was to follow in case of emergencies. Number 1 was simple. Run back to the compound as fast as I could and don't worry about avoiding the security cameras used to monitor the clan. In fact, it was better if I **was** seen on them. Make as much noise as possible and try to get the attention of other villagers or clan members. It wasn't about evading the enemy as much as gaining the attention of allies.'_

_"Help! Help!" Aiko screamed as she ran. "Somebody, help me!" As she continued to run, her path was suddenly blocked by one of the genin. She turned and quickly found the kunoichi of the group to her side and the other boy behind her. Having no other choice, she ran in the fourth direction, but soon found herself at the edge of the Nakano River. She bit her lip nervously. At other times of the year, this part of the river was calm and even a child like her could cross it, but right now, in the early spring, when the snow on the mountains melted into the river, it was flowing rapidly. She bit her lip nervously as her eyes took in the swiftly flowing water._

_"Nowhere to run now, brat." The kunoichi remarked, causing Aiko to turn around and look at her as the three genin closed in. Tears filled her eyes. It was obvious that they had herded her toward the river on purpose in order to trap her. If she were older, she could try to outmaneuver them, but right now, at the age of four, she couldn't hope to compete with the speed of three full-fledged genin. She started to step back, but stopped. The bank of the river was saturated at the moment. If she stepped too close to the edge, she'd fall in._

_"What do you think you're doing?" A young voice called. The trio of genin turned to see a young boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector standing nearby. Aiko instantly recognized him._

_"Itachi-senpai!" She exclaimed in relief._

_'It so happened that Itachi-niichan had been sparring with Shisui-san nearby and had heard my screams. Realizing the situation, Shisui-san had gone to assist my father while Itachi-niichan came to help me.'_

_"Oh? You're that Uchiha Brat that's taking the exams alone, aren't you?" The kunoichi remarked._

_"Never mind that." Itachi said with his eyes narrowed, "I take it that the three of you are in Konoha for the Exam, but this area is part of the Uchiha's private training grounds. People from outside my clan aren't allowed here."_

_"Well! Aren't we stuck up?" The girl sneered._

_"More importantly..." Itachi continued, "Even if this were a public training ground, attacking children who are not shinobi is impermissible for any applicant of the Chuunin Exam."_

_"Heh. Well then it's a good thing we aren't applicants anymore." One of the boys said. "We got dropped after the second exam."_

_"Not that we were trying to pass, mind you." The other boy remarked, "After all, our real objective from the beginning was this girl here."_

_"Koko," The first boy said, "You get the brat, we'll take care of this punk!" He and the other boy quickly ran toward Itachi. Aiko immediately tried to make a break for it now that she was no longer cornered, but the girl named Koko immediately grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm above her head, causing Aiko to cry out in pain._

_"Where do you think **you're **going?" Koko sneered._

_"Let her go." Itachi demanded calmly. The two girls looked and saw that he had already defeated both boys._

_"How did you..." Koko began before she caught sight of Itachi's glowing red eyes and smirked dryly. "I see... genjutsu, huh? I'm a genjutsu-type myself, but it's clear that I don't stand a chance against you." Her grip on Aiko's arm tightened as she pulled the younger girl slightly closer, "However, our orders were to either bring this girl back with us, or at the very least... make sure she can't grow up to be useful to Konoha!" With that said, she suddenly threw Aiko into the river, the little girl screaming as she plunged into the water._

_"Aiko-chan!" Itachi called, swiftly running forward to jump in after her, slashing Koko with a kunai to fend her off as he did._

_Aiko coughed and struggled desperately to keep her head up in the strong current. "H-Help me!"_

_"Hold on!" Itachi called as he swam toward her, using the current to his advantage. Just as Aiko slipped beneath the surface, he managed to grab her hands, pulling her arms to his neck before wrapping an arm around her body, now working to keep them both above the water._

_Aiko coughed again. "Itachi-senpai!"_

_"It's all right! Just hold onto me!" Itachi assured her._

_"Itachi!" Shisui's voice called out, and when the older boy threw a kunai with a rope attached toward him, Itachi caught it flawlessly with his free hand despite the current. "Just hold onto that! We'll pull you out!" Shisui called. He was holding the other end of the rope, along with Aiko's father._

_'Because of the increased volume created by the melting snow on the mountains, the current was really strong that day, and it seemed determined not to give the two of us up. However, soon your father came, along with other members of the Police Force, and together, they all managed to pull us out.'_

_Aiko coughed as she and Itachi were finally pulled to safety on the bank. Her father instantly embraced her tightly. "Aiko! Oh thank goodness!" Wrapping a blanket that had been brought around his daughter, he turned and looked at Itachi. "Itachi-kun, thank you so much."_

_"No problem." Itachi replied politely as he wrapped himself in the blanket Shisui had handed him._

_"What about the Hidden Stone shinobi?" Fugaku asked._

_"The Jonin with them was well prepared to battle the Sharingan." Nichi answered, "I finally managed to subdue him with Shisui's help, but then we noticed Aiko and Itachi in the river, so there's a chance that he regained consciousness and escaped."_

_"I knocked out two of the genin with genjutsu before the other threw Aiko-chan into the river." Itachi added, "When I ran past her to rescue Aiko-chan, I slashed her with a kunai to prevent her from stopping me. I'm not sure to what degree she was injured though."_

_"We'll search the forest for all four of them." Fugaku replied, "Itachi, for now, take Aiko back to our house. You two need to get dried off and warmed up and Aiko needs to be protected. Megumi is on duty at the precinct right now and I need Nichi to come with me for the report."_

_"Right, Chichiue." Itachi replied. He turned and looked at Aiko, "You must be tired from falling in the river. Let me carry you back."_

_"Okay." Aiko replied._

_子供の時_

_"Here we go. Red bean soup with dumplings. This will warm the both of you right up." Mikoto said as she placed two steaming bowls in front of Itachi and Aiko after they had reached Itachi's house._

_"Yay!" Aiko exclaimed happily._

_"Blech!" Sasuke said in disgust. Mikoto rolled her eyes._

_"Don't complain, Sasuke. You're having tomato soup." She told her younger son._

_"Yeah!" Sasuke cheered._

_Aiko giggled and looked at Itachi for an explanation._

_"Sasuke doesn't like sweet things." Itachi told her as he handed her a soup spoon. "But he loves tomatoes. What about you, Aiko-chan? Do you like sweets?"_

_"Uh-huh!" Aiko said with a smile, "Especially red beans!"_

_Mikoto chuckled as she set Sasuke's soup in front of him._

_"Itadakimasu!" The four of them chimed before beginning the meal. As they were eating, Mikoto noticed that Aiko appeared to be deep in thought._

_"What's the matter, Aiko-chan?" She asked as she lowered her soup spoon._

_"There are... there's some things about today that I don't understand..." Aiko admitted. "That girl from the Hidden Stone... she said that she and her comrades were ordered to... kill me... if they couldn't capture me... that was why she threw me into the river. But I don't understand... why am I so important that they would go that far?"_

_Mikoto sighed, "During the war, your mother became very famous for her ability to analyze enemy troop movements to predict what strategies the enemy was about to implement. This allowed the head of the Nara Clan to form counter-strategies, so she became an asset to Konoha. It was also during the war, that your father became well-known for his ability to instantly adapt to new situations. As their daughter, there's a chance that you've inherited both of your parents' talents. Iwagakure was our primary foe during the war, so it makes sense that they would be both interested in and threatened by your potential."_

_"Are they planning to start another war?" Aiko asked nervously._

_"I hope not." Mikoto replied, "More likely, they just want to prevent Konoha's strength from exceeding theirs."_

_"But didn't we win the last war? Doesn't our strength already exceed theirs?" Aiko asked in confusion. Mikoto laughed lightly at her open acknowledgment of the obvious._

_"Well, yes, but they don't want us to grow **stronger**." The woman explained._

_Aiko seemed disturbed by this. "Is it common? For a shinobi village to just up and kidnap a child from another village, even if they aren't a shinobi themselves yet?"_

_"I'm afraid it is..." Mikoto admitted._

_"But why?!" Aiko asked as she looked up at Mikoto with fear and confusion. "What gives them the right to take a child away from their home and family?!" _

_Mikoto sighed. "You're right. It isn't right, Aiko-chan__. That's why Konoha doesn't engage in such practices. But other villages aren't like us..."_

_Aiko looked down at her soup, "There's something else I don't understand... Itachi-senpai, why did you jump into the river after me?"_

_"The water there was too rough for me to walk on the surface to pull you out." Itachi said bluntly._

_"I figured that much, but what I mean is... If Shisui-san hadn't thrown you that line, you could've easily drowned along with me. You couldn't have kept us both afloat forever." She explained. Itachi blinked. He hadn't really thought about it. For him, as a shinobi of Konoha, allowing a child of Konoha to drown wasn't an option. "And it's not just that." Aiko continued, not noticing his confusion, "It wasn't just you and Shisui-san who came to help us. It was **everyone**. Even people who don't like Papa."_

_Mikoto smiled gently, "Aiko, the kanji for clan means 'one family'. Even if we don't all get along all of the time, everyone in the Uchiha Clan is your family. Whenever you're in trouble, we'll always come to help. That's what family is."_

_今時_

"In that moment, I understood, that no matter what, I belonged to the Uchiha Clan, and the Clan would always be where I belonged." Aiko explained as finished her story, "Even though I've lived most of my life elsewhere, my heart has never left Konoha or the Clan. When you came to my village when we were kids, I was desperate to connect with you, but it was hard, because my lineage was classified information. It wasn't like I could just walk up to you and say 'Hi, I'm the cousin that you probably forgot exists.'"

"I'm kind of annoyed that I _did _forget." Sasuke admitted.

"Don't be." Aiko said with a shake of her head, "You were only five when this happened, and because of my tendency to isolate myself from the Clan back then, you hardly saw me after that."

_Can you reminisce, can you recall_

_The last time you felt some joy at all?_

"If you knew the Clan was where you belonged, why did you isolate yourself?" Sasuke asked.

"I have a natural awareness of the feelings of those around me. Something I got from Okaasan I suppose." Aiko explained, "I could feel the hatred that was consuming most of the adults, and it disturbed me, so I kept my distance." Her eyes became downcast as she said, "There are times when I regret that. I can't help but feel that I should've tried to become closer to our family. On the other hand, if I had gotten closer, it might've hurt even more when I learned of the tragedy. At that time, a lot of the details were hidden from me. I didn't even know that Itachi-niichan was involved until my mother finally revealed everything to me just before her death."

_Or maybe you are so blessed to a point_

_Where you can't remember anything_

"I understand your feelings, Aiko." Sasuke said, "But things are different now. The Uchiha are no longer a clan consumed by hatred, nor are we isolated from Konoha." He stood up and offered his hand to her, "You don't need to be afraid of losing Nozomi, because you aren't alone anymore. You're finally, truly, back where you belong." Aiko blinked in surprise, but then hesitantly took her cousin's hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

_The fact we're alive right here and now_

_We take it for granted, but that's how_

_We'll find hope when we may need it most_

_When we realize the miracle_

* * *

This chapter is sad, but I still like the little exposition into Aiko's past and being able to have Sasuke offer support to someone, in the same way that he does to Chino in Sasuke Shinden.

The lyrics are from Amalee and PelleK's version of Closer. Used with permission!


	3. Reminiscence

Meanwhile, at the Uzumaki household, Boruto and Himawari both gazed up at Amai in awe after proper introductions had been made.

"So you're Sarada's aunt?" The blond-haired boy asked.

"That's right. I was married to her uncle before he passed away, many years ago." Amai replied as she shifted the unconscious Nozomi in her arms.

Sarada looked a bit miffed, "How did I _not_ know about you?"

"Because it's technically classified information that only the Hokage and the Jounin Counsel have known about." Shikamaru answered, "Although I'm guessing that's about to change."

Amai nodded, "We were planning to move here today anyway. Things just got a little..."

"Chaotic?" Sakura asked with a wry smile as she held her arms out in a silent offer to look after Nozomi.

"To say the least..." Amai replied as she passed Nozomi over to her sister-in-law before smiling at Sarada, "We've met before Sarada-chan. You just don't remember. I think the last time I saw you was when you were about four-years-old, before you started wearing glasses."

"Oh that's right!" Sakura said, "You were in Konoha on the day Sarada got sick back then. You really helped me out at that time."

"Before I wore glasses? That must've been a really long time ago..." Sarada said.

Amai nodded, "You were very sick, and when your fever finally broke, we realized that you'd suffered damage to your vision, so you probably don't remember seeing me."

"Wait, _that's_ why I wear glasses?!" Sarada exclaimed.

"You didn't know?" Amai asked in confusion. Sarada shook her head.

"I just thought it was hereditary or something."

Amai smiled in dry amusement, "Well, I can't say that poor eyesight is something that the Uchiha are immune to by any means. Itachi-kun _was_ blind by the time he passed."

"Wasn't that because of his Mangekyou Sharingan though?" Sakura asked.

"Technically, yes, but my point still stands." Amai replied. She placed a hand on Sarada's head, "Still, you've really gotten big, Sarada-chan. And you look so much like your father." She knelt down to see Sarada's face better and then smiled, "But you know, I think the shape of your eyes is more similar to Sakura-chan's."

"Eh? Really?" Sarada asked.

"Yes." Amai said with a smile, "Trust me, there are very few people who could possibly know the eyes of the Uchiha better than I do." She turned and looked at where Dango and Tamana were sitting on the couch, "Dango and Tamana's eyes are of similar shape to their father's, but there's a slight roundness there that they got from me." Grief and concern crossed the woman's features as she took note of Tamana rubbing at her eyes. "Thank goodness that Aiko-chan has the Mangekyou Sharingan... I shudder to think what would've happened to us all otherwise. I'm not incapable of fighting if I have to, but faced with a member of the Ōtsutsuki..."

"Yeah." Sakura said with a nod, "Without her Susano'o and a means to contact Sasuke-kun..." She walked closer to Amai and lowered her voice, "Is Tamana-chan okay? She seems pretty shaken up."

Amai's eyes saddened slightly, "Tamana has always been a sensitive child. She gets that from her father. However, unlike myself or Itachi-kun, this is the first time in their sixteen years of life that either of them has ever witnessed death in combat. While the fact they've been able to live this long without experiencing that makes me happy, for it to have been somebody so close to them... Koujirou-kun was the closest thing to a father that they've ever known."

"What do you mean, Auntie?" Boruto asked.

"Ah, I guess you wouldn't know." Amai replied with a wry smile, "My husband Itachi, who was Sasuke-kun's older brother, passed away shortly after I became pregnant with the twins, so they never got the chance to meet him."

"Just like Mirai-neechan..." Boruto replied.

"Mirai?" Amai asked in confusion before realization crossed her face, "Oh, you must mean Sarutobi Mirai, Sarutobi Asuma's daughter. Yes. They both died while protecting Konoha from the same organization, the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?" Sarada asked in confusion, having heard that name before. "Wasn't Uncle Itachi a member of that group?"

"To be more accurate, Itachi-kun was a _spy_ that infiltrated the Akatsuki for Konoha's sake." Amai replied.

"So that's what Papa meant when he said that guy didn't know anything about Uncle Itachi..." Sarada said thoughtfully.

"Ah, I assume you're referring to the man called Shin, whom you faced with your parents." Amai replied, "I heard about that from Sakura-chan after the fact. For somebody who claimed to be fascinated by him, that man didn't know a single thing about Itachi-kun."

At that moment, the door opened and Sasuke walked in with Aiko.

"Aiko-chan!" Amai exclaimed with concern, hurrying over to her, "Are you...?"

Aiko smiled weakly. "I'll manage. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"To think that there was another survivor of the Uchiha besides Papa..." Sarada said in amazement as she walked up to Aiko with Boruto and Himawari.

Aiko smiled sadly at Sarada. "Yes. My name was removed from the clan registry when my father died. Things were... pretty complicated when Sasuke-niichan and I were young. My mother couldn't go back to the clan that she had been born in, and she feared for my safety, so she took me to live elsewhere in the Land of Fire. As a result, there is no evidence that I ever lived here."

"No, that's not quite right." Shikamaru said, stepping forward with something under his arm, "There might be more proof in the old Uchiha Storage Unit in the bunkers, but, at the very least, I did find this at my house." He held out a framed photograph to Aiko, whose eyes widened at the sight.

"Oh my. You still have this, Shikamaru-san? I had nearly forgotten about it myself until I started packing for the move."

"What is it?" Sarada asked curiously, peering over Aiko's hands with Boruto while Sasuke looked over her shoulder. It was of four children, two about Sarada and Boruto's age, and the other two about Himawari's age, standing on a stage. Three of them were standing on a podium while the other was standing beside it. A little girl was standing at the top of the podium, cradling a gold trophy in her arms and beaming happily. Despite standing on the top tier, her head was still lower than that of the young boy with charcoal-colored hair standing beside her, smiling tranquilly whilst holding a silver trophy. The protector on his forehead was proof that he was already a shinobi. On the lowest tier was a boy with spiky black hair and sharp brown eyes, holding a bronze-colored trophy and looking uncertain as to whether he was happy or annoyed. Like the little girl, standing on the tier didn't help him to stand above the brunette girl beside him, who was also beaming despite not being on the podium, a shiny medal around her neck.

"This photo is from a really long time ago." Aiko explained, "Maybe four months or so before I left Konoha." She pointed to the little girl at the top of the podium, "This is me..." Her finger moved to the boy with the ash-colored hair, "And then this is your uncle, Itachi-niichan." She moved her finger to the other boy, "This is Shikamaru-san... And then this girl is Uchiha Izumi. Someone that your uncle and I were both close to."

"What is this from? I don't remember." Naruto asked as he looked over Boruto and Sarada's heads.

Aiko laughed, "You wouldn't. I doubt that you participated." She smiled fondly at the photo, "This is from a shogi tournament that was held when we were kids, at the suggestion of Nara Shikaku, the father of Shikamaru-san. He proposed holding a tournament among the children of Konoha to discover who the brightest minds of the next generation were. Back then, early graduation from the Academy had only just been abolished, so only post-war graduates, academy students, and those who were due to enter the Academy the following term were allowed to enter. For that reason, Itachi-niichan's best friend, Uchiha Shisui, wasn't able to enter." She smiled wryly, "In truth, I think Shikaku-san suggested it in part because he thought that removing my mother from her post in the Hokage's Office after your father's death had been a terrible mistake."

"Why was she removed?" Sarada asked.

"One of the higher-ups at that time bore a deep hatred toward my parents and I, because my mother had left her own clan, the clan that he was from, when she married my father." Aiko replied, "My mother was supposed to marry the next head of her clan, but she hadn't been given a say in this matter, so when she and my father eloped and she became a member of the Uchiha... well... more than a few people were ticked off about it. That particular higher-up had a tendency to abuse the power of his position for his own needs, thus, he tended to make life hard for my family as much as possible. Although that's not to say he held any great love for the Uchiha in general."

"That man should've been dealt with long before the Gokage Council." Sakura said with a shake of her head, "I don't know why Lord Third never did anything beyond putting him under house arrest."

"It's possible that he used Kotoamatsukami to prevent Sandaime from taking further action against him. It's not as if he had any respect for Lord Third's authority." Aiko remarked, "But that's beside the point. In the eyes of my mother's clan, I was nothing more than a parasite. Someone who should never have existed. Shikaku-san was close with my mother and wanted to give me a chance to prove that I was every inch her daughter. At that time, there was still a sense of rivalry amongst the various clans of Konoha. Thus, the tournament provided a setting where the best and brightest of each clan could show off their intellectual abilities, although the official purpose was to scout out talent amongst the children of the village to determine who might be well-suited to joining Shikaku-san's division later on. The preliminary tournament was divided into four groups, according to age. Those who were ages 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, and 15-19, which was the age of the oldest postwar graduate. The winner and runner-up of each group went on to the final tournament. The youngest age group went first, and then from there, those who advanced were allowed to watch the matches of those older than them, to prevent the younger ones from being at a severe disadvantage. Shikamaru-san and I were the finalists from the first group, and then Itachi-niichan and Izumi-neechan were the finalists from the second group. I don't really remember who the other four were all that well. It was so long ago. In the end, the final match came down to Itachi-niichan and I."

"And you beat him?" Sakura said incredulously. "When you were _six?_"

Aiko laughed, "We were competing in shogi, not ninjutsu."

"Wasn't he in the ANBU by that point?" Sakura asked.

"Okay, point taken." Aiko said with a sweat-drop. "It was a very long match. Itachi-niichan had the advantage with regards to talent for battlefield analysis, so to speak, and responding to a situation, but I inherited my mother's talent for behavioral analysis, which allowed me to overtake him in the end. Rather than responding to things as they happened, I was able to read several steps ahead."

"I kind of remember this..." Sakura said. "I was in the tournament too. I lost to Shikamaru and then played a loser's match against Sasuke-kun to determine third place for the preliminaries."

"Oh yeah, Sasuke-niichan had been my opponent just before Shikamaru-san." Aiko said thoughtfully, "He had no real interest in shogi. I'm pretty sure he only entered because Itachi-niichan had." She added with a sweat-drop. "Who was it that won that match? I can't remember."

"It was me." Sasuke replied before adding, "But looking back, I'm pretty sure Sakura _let_ me win."

"I couldn't help it!" Sakura admitted, "You were so moody about losing to Aiko! I couldn't stand to see you like that!"

Aiko laughed softly, "He probably only entered in the first place because Itachi-niichan had, and I imagine that Itachi-niichan had been compelled by Uncle Fugaku to do so. Neither of them had a great deal of interest in shogi. Then again, I'm pretty sure Izumi-neechan only entered because she wanted to impress Itachi-niichan."

"Did it work?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Probably not." Aiko said with an amused smile and a shake of her head, "Itachi-niichan wasn't the type to judge somebody's worth by their talent. Even so, Izumi-neechan was really happy with herself for making it into the top four."

"Eh..." Tamana said with interest as she walked over with Dango to look at the photo with the others, "So this is what Papa looked like when he was young?"

"You've seen pictures of your father as a child before, Tamana." Amai said in confusion.

"Yeah, but most of those are from before he became a chuunin." Her daughter replied.

"True. That's probably because he had a tendency to overwork himself." Amai said, her smile a mixture of fondness and amusement. "He went nearly six months without taking a single day off after passing his Exam."

"Tamana, how are your eyes?" Sasuke asked abruptly.

"The eye drops Aunt Sakura gave to me helped." His niece answered, "But my vision blurs every now and then."

Sasuke nodded, "Just take it easy for now. And when you feel the awakening reach completion, let me know."

"Awakening?" Tamana asked in confusion.

"You'll know when it happens." Sasuke replied vaguely.

"Speaking of which, is Nozomi okay, Aiko-chan?" Naruto asked, "She's been out cold this whole time."

"That's not unusual." His friend said calmly. "The Sharingan puts a great deal of strain on the user's chakra. Most children who awakened it at Nozomi's age couldn't maintain it for even a full minute. Izumi-neechan accidentally activated hers at the Academy once, prior to Itachi-niichan's graduation, and he had to carry her to the infirmary."

"When do you think she'll wake up?" Sakura asked.

"It's hard to say." Aiko said with a shrug, "It depends largely on the child's chakra reserves, as well as the time of day. When I awakened mine, I slept until the following morning, but when I awakened it, it was only a few hours before I would've gone to bed anyway. Itachi-niichan awakened his when he was a bit older than I was, but he had already developed his chakra reserves far above that of the average child his age, even for our clan. As a result, he was able to avoid passing out."

"But why did she awaken it all of a sudden?" Boruto asked, "Is that normal for somebody her age?"

"I wouldn't say it's 'normal', but... The Sharingan is different from the Byakugan." Aiko replied, "Awakening it has nothing to do with talent or training. Its awakening is believed to be triggered by emotional pain, so it can be awakened at any age, at least in theory. Tamana-chan was only four when she awakened hers."

"Really, what happened?" Boruto asked curiously.

"Boruto!" Sarada chided.

"No, it's okay." Tamana said with a gentle smile, "I awakened my Sharingan after coming to understand the reason why I had never met Papa."

"Something like that?" Kawaki asked skeptically from his place on the other couch.

"Tamana has always been a sensitive child." Amai explained, "In that regard, she's very like Itachi-kun."

Kawaki didn't respond to this, being as he knew literally nothing about Sarada's uncle.

"What about you, Sarada?" Boruto asked, having literally no idea about what had happened at that time.

Sarada sweat-dropped, an annoyed look crossing her face, "I awakened mine when Suigetsu-san totally screwed something up..."

"Huh?" Boruto said in confusion.

"No." Sasuke said suddenly, "It was before that."

"Huh?" At this, Sarada turned and looked at her father.

"When you entered the tower the day before that, your Sharingan was active." He looked down sadly, "That was why... I..."

"Eh? At that time?" Sarada asked in surprise.

"Seriously?" Naruto asked, "Her Sharingan wasn't active when she took off ahead of Chou-Chou and I."

"I didn't even notice it!" Sarada exclaimed.

"Eh?" Aiko said in confusion, before suddenly setting the photograph aside and placing her hands on Sarada's shoulders, kneeling down so that their faces were level. "Sarada-chan, please, tell me everything you remember about that time. In particular, what you were thinking and feeling."

"Huh?" Sarada asked in confusion before carefully obeying, "Well let's see... All I was really thinking about was getting to see Papa for the first time since I was little. I was really excited about it. That was why I left Lord Seventh and Chou-Chou behind, which, in retrospect, was a dumb move on my part." She looked up in confusion as she noticed Aiko's eyes shining with excitement. "What? What is it?"

"This is amazing!" Aiko exclaimed as she stood back up, "Throughout the history of our clan, there are a few records of cases where the Sharingan might have been awakened by something other than psychological trauma, but as they all took place in the heat of battle, it was difficult to tell. In your case, Sarada-chan, there _is_ no guessing! Your Sharingan was definitely awakened by _positive_ emotions! That proof completely uproots everything we've ever thought about the Sharingan!"

"Eh? But I read in the clan files that the Sharingan awakens as a result of the brain producing a special kind of chakra in response to psychological trauma." Sarada said.

Aiko snorted at this. "Yes, that was the theory proposed by the Second Hokage. Because he was _such_ an _expert _on the Uchiha." She remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Uh, I take it you don't have the highest opinion of Lord Second." Sakura said with a sweat-drop.

"No, I don't." Aiko replied frankly, "But to be fair, he knew _exactly_ how I felt about him. While you guys were stuck battling Kaguya in a different time-space, he and the other Hokage came back to the village to speak with me. He wanted to hear my thoughts since I was the only other Uchiha alive at the time. Well, that and... it's not like they had anything better to do. I mean, they were kind of stuck. What were they supposed to do during that time? Sit around playing cards? Actually, when I think about it, hadn't Lord Fourth's arms been severed by that point?" Sakura laughed lightly at this and Aiko shook her head. "But it doesn't matter. Regardless of what I think of the man, the past is in the past, and we should leave it there. Honestly, I think our ancestors' mistakes have haunted us all for long enough, don't you?"

"Ya got that right-ttebayo!"

"Yes."

"Definitely." Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all said at once. Boruto, Sarada, and Himawari looked at each other in confusion while Kawaki raised a brow at this.

"Regardless, knowing this important information has fueled my ambition." Aiko replied as she reached back to pull her hair into a low ponytail.

"Hm? Ambition?" Naruto asked, and his childhood friend nodded.

"For a long time now, I've been thinking that when I came back to Konoha, I would like to do thorough research on the Sharingan." She explained, "Most of what we know comes from the clan's stone tablet, but that thing was severely edited by Kurozetsu, so I would hardly call it accurate, and besides, it seems that even our ancestor Hagoromo had some misgivings about the Sharingan. My mother taught me a lot about psychology. I want to use that knowledge to study the Sharingan properly, discover the real truth about it, and understand its secrets for the sake of future generations."

"Future generations?" Sarada asked with a raised brow. "The current generation is literally just Nozomi-chan, Dango-niisan, Tamana-neesan and I."

"Not quite..." Aiko said as she looked down at her stomach with a soft smile, placing a hand upon it. Sakura's eyes widened in realization.

"Aiko, are you...?"

"I just entered my second trimester." Aiko confirmed with a nod. "We were waiting for that marker to make the move. Perhaps, if we had come sooner, Koujirou-kun wouldn't have..." Tears lined her eyes as she smiled bittersweetly and shook her head, "But it doesn't matter. We can't go back and change it, and I know that he would prefer this to a possible miscarriage. He wasn't a shinobi, but... he possessed all of the courage and died with all of the honor of one." She carefully took her sleeping daughter from Sakura, cradling her close, "My mother once told me that there is no death more honorable for a shinobi... than that which comes while protecting one's child. He protected Nozomi, just as my parents protected me. And by protecting her, he protected part of our clan's future. I couldn't be more proud... that he was my husband."

_All that we love and hold so dear_

_Could disappear one day without warning_

_We fear if we get too close to it_

_We'll lose it all in a heartbeat_

_You know the closer you get to something_

_The tougher it is to see it_

_And I'll never take it for granted_

_Let's go_

Naruto smiled at his friend, "Well if research is what you want to do, Aiko, then I'll assign you to the Scientific Research Division as a special jonin."

"Huh? A special jonin?" Aiko said in surprise, "But Naruto-kun, I never actually became a genin."

"Uh, technically, you were unofficially registered as a genin when you started escorting Koujirou on his monthly trips to Konoha after the war." Kakashi remarked, "And you were promoted to Chuunin when I asked you to watch over the twins. Why do you think you kept receiving payments from the village?"

"The twins I knew about..." Aiko began, "But I thought the other paychecks were just support payments since both of my parents were killed in action."

"Well... those were included up until your twentieth birthday, yes." Kakashi said, "It wasn't like you could live off of the earnings of one C-rank mission a month."

"How is it even possible to be 'unofficially registered'?" She asked.

"Ah... it's kind of like when your mother was removed from the registration records after she 'retired'." Kakashi explained, "Only myself, Naruto, and Shikamaru knew about it, although we never mentioned your surname to Naruto because there wasn't much reason to. Simply put, you're not registered on paper, but you've been considered a shinobi of Konoha pretty much since the war ended. I did this out of concern regarding some of those left from Root."

"Gee, thanks for telling me..." Aiko remarked. "Still, I don't think I have the necessary experience to be a special jonin."

"You're too modest." Shikamaru assured her, "You've been guarding the twins for twelve years now, to say nothing of your missions prior to that."

"And as I recall," Kakashi added, "You beat Sasuke in a fight when you were twelve. To say nothing of your analytical abilities and talent for forming strategies." At this, he pointed at the photo from the tournament.

Aiko turned bright red with embarrassment at the mention of her fight with Sasuke, "Geez, you don't need to bring _that_ up!"

"Why did you get into a fight with Papa?" Sarada asked, and Aiko looked away in embarrassment.

"...It was a childish lapse in judgment on my part." She said.

"To be fair, Sasuke started it by insulting your cooking." Naruto pointed out.

"Well, yes, but I didn't have to retaliate by _punching_ him." Aiko replied.

"And yet, as I recall, you weren't the only one getting an earful from your mother about it." Sasuke remarked. Sakura chuckled nervously.

"Well anyway, you're going to be a special jonin, and that's that!" Naruto said before looking at the twins, "Dango, Tamana, what about you two? I know you've trained under Aiko-chan all this time, but you don't have to become shinobi if you don't want to. It's up to you."

Dango and Tamana looked at each other before they both smiled and Tamana instinctively clasped her brother's hand, a habit she'd had since they were infants.

"Our father dedicated his life to protecting this village." Tamana began, "That's why, even though we didn't grow up here, we've always felt that Konohagakure was our home. The home of the Uchiha."

"And it's for that reason that we both decided a long time ago that we would become shinobi as well, and protect this Village Hidden in the Leaves that our father loved." Dango finished.

Naruto grinned, "Then I guess that settles it! From here on out, the two of you are ninja of the Hidden Leaf!"

"That said, we'll need to find a team for them." Shikamaru remarked.

"Well, technically, Team 10 has an opening, doesn't it?" Naruto asked.

"Chou-chou is boy crazy..." Shikamaru replied, causing Naruto to sweat-drop. "Besides, even if we stuck Tamana there, we don't have another team with an opening for Dango."

"Now I pity Sandaime for having to figure out who to team up Sasuke-kun with when we were kids." Sakura said with a sweat-drop. "In the end, he just went for creating a team that was perfectly balanced in terms of abilities..."

"There was also the fact that the three of you are cloaked in chakra that drew you together like magnets." Aiko remarked, "Knowing Lord Third, he probably had some awareness of that."

"I don't get it." Boruto said cluelessly, "What exactly is the problem with girls being on the team?"

"The fact that girls have a tendency to... Well... stare at Oniichan." Tamana said bluntly, "You're supposed to be able to rely on your teammates. That's not possible if they're distracted by your very existence."

Naruto sweat-dropped and grinned awkwardly, "Well... we'll figure it out... in the meantime, we need to get things ready to officially welcome the Uchiha Clan back to Konoha for real-ttebayo!"

"Which I'm guessing is going to mean a meeting of the Jounin Council." Amai said as she began to pull up her long braid.

"Okaasan..." Tamana began eagerly, "While you do that, do you mind if Oniichan and I...?"

"Yes, go ahead." Amai told her daughter as she secured her hair, "I know that that's all you two have wanted to do since we arrived. However, you're going to be needed at this meeting, so when you're done, come directly to the Hokage's office. It will take a little bit of time to assemble all of the members, so you'll be fine as long as you don't dawdle."

"Going by the current time, you two probably have until about 2:30." Shikamaru added.

"Understood." The teenagers replied in unison.

* * *

This chapter is just kind of filler, but it's necessary filler!


	4. Itachi’s Legacy

Tamana and Dango walked through the streets of Konoha hand-in-hand, Tamana rubbing at her eyes every so often despite the smile on her face. The two of them had visited Konoha any number of times since they turned twelve, but they had always used the transformation technique to avoid standing out. For that reason, they had never gone to the one place they wanted to visit most, because it didn't feel quite right.

Dango was slightly surprised when Tamana stopped walking and followed his sister's gaze to see that her attention had been caught by the sign for Yamanaka Flowers. She turned and smiled at her brother. "Oniisan, let's stop here first."

Dango smiled slightly and nodded, allowing his sister to lead him inside.

Yamanaka Ino looked up as the bell jangled, "Welcome—Oh! Tamana, Dango, is that you?" She set her magazine aside and stood up, "It's been so long! You two have really grown up!"

"And yet, you recognized us right away." Dango remarked with mild amusement.

Ino waved a hand at this, "Oh please. Anyone who'd ever seen your father or even a photo of him would be able to tell. But what are you two doing here?"

"We're on our way to the cemetery. I wanted to get some flowers to put our relatives' graves." Tamana explained.

"Your 'relatives'?" Ino questioned with a raised brow, "You're not planning to decorate the graves of your entire clan, are you?"

Tamana giggled at this, "No. Just Papa's, Ojiisama's, Obaasama's, Adzuki-bachan's, Shisui-san's, and Izumi-san's."

Ino sweat-dropped, "You're going to make people think that the cemetery's on fire with the amount of incense sticks that will require." She watched as Tamana walked over to look at a display, her fingers still interlaced with Dango's. "You realize that if you weren't obviously twins, people would probably mistake you for a couple, right?"

"I keep telling her that we're too old to keep indulging in such a childish habit." Dango said in exasperation.

"I can't help it!" Tamana chided, "Okaasan says that we've been holding hands since we were born! I'm too used to it. Not doing it feels weird and uncomfortable."

"Do you intend to keep doing it even when we become adults and get married and live in separate houses?" Dango asked with a raised brow. "We can't keep linking hands forever, Tamana. We're going to have to stop eventually."

"Maybe." Tamana admitted before grinning cheerfully at him, "But not right now!" Dango sighed, but taking note of the tears lining his sister's eyes, he hugged her with his other arm rather than continue their argument.

Tamana smiled gratefully and wiped her eyes when they separated. "So what kind of flowers would you recommend, Ino-san?"

"Let's see..." Ino said as she walked over to them. "Camellias for your grandparents, maybe. White Camellias represent quiet dignity, while red ones represent passionate dignity. Plus, those are the colors of your clan's crest. Your mom usually puts the white ones on your grandmother's grave and the red ones on your grandfather's. But... I don't really know for the other people you mentioned. I don't know anything about them. And as far as your father goes, well, that depends on what you want to say to him."

"Uchiha Shisui was Tousan's closest friend." Dango explained, "Kaasan said that Tousan thought of Shisui-san as an older brother."

"He was an extremely noble person." Tamana added, "After his right eye was stolen by Shimura Danzou, he entrusted his remaining eye to Papa and then made it look like he had committed suicide in order to prevent further discord between the clan and the village. If the clan had found out that he'd been poisoned and his eye stolen..."

"Yeah, I get it." Ino said with a nod, "In that case, I think that anemones would be a good choice. They represent protection and sacrifice. What about the other person that you mentioned?"

"Hm, well that's... a little bit... awkward..." Tamana admitted, "She was..." She sighed softly, "No matter how you look at it, there's just no way to explain it without..."

"Oh. I think I understand." Ino said softly.

"But, Papa never got the chance to visit her grave, so I want to express gratitude to her on his behalf." Tamana explained. "As well as, I suppose..." She looked down awkwardly. No matter how one looked at it, it was just strange for a person to be placing flowers on the grave of their father's deceased first love, especially when things ended the way they had for Itachi and Izumi. Nonetheless, Ino understood that, as Itachi's daughter, Tamana wanted to express both gratitude and remorse toward the girl on her father's behalf.

"Since it's a complicated matter, maybe it's better to go with a more complicated arrangement." She suggested, "I would recommend rue for sorrow and remorse, a hydrangea for honesty, gratitude and understanding, and larkspur for first love. However, since you're the one placing the flowers, you should also express your own feelings, Tamana-chan. I think pansies would be a good addition. They represent sincerity and thoughtfulness. You're a smart enough girl to realize that if things had been different, you and Dango probably wouldn't have been born. That you want to acknowledge your father's first love shows how kind and thoughtful you are."

Tamana seemed shy as she fiddled with her long bangs. "I've considered that, yes. That's why this is so... awkward. I want to thank her for loving Papa while she was alive, but at the same time..."

"You're grateful to have been born, and that's awkward because it feels kind of selfish?" Ino offered.

"...Yes..." Tamana admitted slowly before looking up at the woman shyly, "You're good at understanding what people are feeling, Ino-san."

"It's a necessary skill for a florist." Ino said with a shrug, "What about your aunt?"

"I don't really know..." The teenaged girl admitted, "Adzuki-basan passed away when she was only six, before Papa and Okaasan met. Okaasan doesn't talk about her very much. I think it makes her too sad..."

Ino nodded in understanding, "From what I know, Amai-san usually decorates her grave with rosemary, crimson roses, sunflowers, and daisies."

"What do those symbolize?" Tamana asked curiously.

"Rosemary symbolizes remembrance, but in a different way from the forget-me-nots that she always places on your father's grave. Crimson roses represent sorrow and mourning. Sunflowers show adoration, and daisies symbolize sweetness and innocence." Ino answered.

"We'll use those then." Tamana said with a nod.

"What about for your father?" Ino asked gently.

Tamana looked down slightly, her brow furrowed in thought. "That's almost as hard as Izumi-san, but in a different way. This is our first time visiting his grave, and there are so many things that we want to say. We really admire Papa, and even though we've never met him, he's always in our hearts. Far greater than his strength as a shinobi was the strength of his heart. Even after everything, he always remained kind." She clasped her free hand near her chest, still unwilling to relinquish her hold on Dango's hand with the other one. "More than anything, we want to tell him, 'Even though we never got to meet you, thank you for being our father.'"

"I think you can say all of that with hydrangeas, gladiolus, and lavender." Ino said with a nod. She retrieved the last of the required flowers and moved to the counter to wrap them into the correct arrangements. At that moment, her husband Sai walked into the shop.

"Ino, Naruto is calling for a meeting of the Jonin Counsel to be held at 2:30." He took notice of the twins and instantly recognized them, "Oh, you two are here?"

"They stopped by to get some flowers for the cemetery." Ino said, "I'll have to close the shop for a bit then. Inojin is out on a mission. Come to think of it, isn't your team supposed to be on a mission right now?"

"Yes, but there are multiple teams on the same mission because it's a large project within the village, so I left them under the supervision of the other instructors to come tell you."

"How much do we owe you, Ino-san?" Tamana asked, but Ino just smiled at her.

"Don't be silly! This will be your very first time going there, so these are on me!" She tilted her head slightly, seeming amused, "However, you're going to _have_ to let go of your brother's hand, Tamana-chan. There's too many of them for you two to carry with only two hands." Tamana pouted childishly, but released Dango's hand. "I'm guessing you don't need anything to light the incense with?"

"No, we can manage that on our own." Dango said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ino asked in amusement before noticing that Tamana was scrunching up her eyes, which were lined with water. "Are you okay, Tamana-chan?"

"I-I'm fine!" Tamana stammered in embarrassment as she rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand, "My eyes are just a bit irritated, that's all."

"Do you have hay fever or something like that?" Sai asked.

"No, it's... it's complicated..." Tamana told him as she brought her hand back down.

"Do you need to use more of the eye drops that Sakura-basan gave to you?" Dango suggested.

"No, it's not that bad." She assured him, "My vision just blurred for a moment. I'm fine now."

Ino frowned in concern, "If your vision is giving you problems, then take care not to run into anything on your way. Here." She pushed the two large sacks toward them.

"Thanks Ino-san. See you later." Tamana said as she and Dango each took a sack and headed out.

一族

Tamana finished arranging the flowers in the vases on her father's tombstone and folded her hands together respectfully, "Papa, Oniichan and I are finally going to be living in Konoha with Sasuke-jisan and everyone else."

"No matter what happens, we will protect this village that you loved." Dango added from where he stood beside her. He offered his hand to Tamana and helped her up, and she continued clasping his hand with her own as they walked over to the memorial stone. She traced the names that were engraved there lightly until she found Itachi's. She looked up at her brother and they both smiled.

"Huh? I don't think I've ever seen you two around here..." Came a voice from behind them. The twins turned around to find a teenaged girl about their own age standing there. The vest she was wearing in addition to her Konoha headband made it clear that she was at least a Chuunin.

Tamana smiled warmly at the girl, "Yes, we just moved here to Konoha from the mountains. But our father was a shinobi of Konoha before we were born. We came here to visit his grave."

"Ohh? You guys lost your dad before you were born too?" The girl asked curiously.

"Ah, Tamana-chan! Dango! I didn't expect to run into you here!" A woman who looked similar to the girl, save for her significantly longer hair, said. The girl blinked and looked up at the woman.

"Kaasan, you know these two?" She asked.

"Yes, from a long time ago." The woman replied before noticing the confused look on the twins' faces. "Oh that's right, I'm guessing you don't remember. I'm Sarutobi Kurenai."

Now Tamana's face lit up in recognition, "Ah, that's right! Okaasan told us that you helped her when she was struggling to deal with Papa's death after we were born!"

"That's right." Kurenai said with a soft smile, "She was a little overwhelmed by all of the post-pregnancy hormones and needed somebody who could understand her feelings." She placed a hand on her daughter's head, "Mirai was born about four months before you and under similar circumstances, so when her physician sent a request to Konoha, asking for somebody to come give her support, Lord Sixth sent me." She smiled at her daughter, who was looking up at her in confusion, "Tamana and Dango's father also protected Konoha from the Akatsuki."

"Eh?" Mirai looked at the twins, "Then did he also encounter Hidan?" She asked curiously.

"He did, but... Papa never had the misfortune of facing him in combat." Tamana said with an awkward smile.

"Even if he had, that man probably would've lost to Tousan's genjutsu." Dango remarked, and Tamana jabbed him with her elbow to reprimand him.

"That's true." Kurenai said thoughtfully, surprising the three teenagers, "Your father's genjutsu was second-to-none. I speak from experience."

Tamana chuckled wryly, "I think things got pretty awkward for Papa when he was on his mission."

"They were beyond being simply 'awkward'." Kurenai corrected before looking remorseful, "I can't imagine what he must've gone through for the sake of the village." She smiled gently at the twins, "He was an amazing shinobi. If not for him, the Akatsuki might've succeeded in capturing Nanadaime long before the war, and if that had happened... it's safe to say that none of us would be here today."

"Huh?" Mirai said, her face the picture of confusion. Kurenai laughed awkwardly and stroked her daughter's hair.

"I'll tell you when I get home from today's meeting." The woman promised.

"Mirai-san, you're pretty good at genjutsu too, aren't you?" Tamana asked in an attempt to change the subject. "I heard that you defeated a man who was trying to follow in Hidan's footsteps in the Land of Steam."

"How did you hear about that?" Mirai asked curiously.

"We were born in Yugakure and lived there until we were four, so we still hear from Okaasan's friends there from time to time." Dango replied.

"Oh. Yeah, it feels weird. I don't really know much about my dad, but Rokudaime and Guy-san said that watching me fight that guy was like watching my dad again." Mirai replied. "It's especially weird for them to say that because it seems like my opponent wasn't nearly as strong as Hidan. I mean, I came out of it alive, right?"

"Kaasan says that it should always be expected that the new generation will surpass the previous one." Dango said.

"Right!" Tamana added with a nod, "Just as the Sage of Six Paths and his brother Hamura surpassed their mother, Kaguya, and Indra and Ashura surpassed their father. At least in a manner of speaking. When power is split in-between two people, they are able to combine it in ways that makes them stronger than their predecessor. And when the power of two people is halved and then combined, the effect is even greater. Your mother's power and your father's power. You possess parts of both, and so you will be able to do even greater things than either of them could do alone." A bittersweet smile crossed her face as she looked over her shoulder at the memorial stone, "Although it's hard to imagine that either of us will ever surpass Papa, even though Mama had plenty of talent on her own. I'm sure most people in our generation feel this way about their parents, but... for me, Papa was the greatest shinobi who ever lived."

"Yeah." Dango agreed.

"A part of me feels that way about Touchan." Mirai admitted, "But at the same time, another part of me wonders... if he was such a great shinobi... Then why did he have to die?"

Tamana smiled gently and placed a hand on Mirai's shoulder. "Okaasan has told us a lot about what the world was like when she and Papa were our age. At that time, the shinobi world was a much harsher place than anyone in our generation can really understand. Both of our fathers lived and died for the sake of making the world a happier place to grow up than the one that they knew. The Toad Sage Jiraiya once said that the measure of a shinobi's life is not in how they lived, but how they died, and our teacher says that there is no nobler death for a shinobi than that which comes from protecting one's own child. Your father and our father. They both died for the sake of our futures. That's the real reason that they were both splendid shinobi."

Mirai blinked in surprise and Kurenai smiled.

"You truly are a kind child, just like your father, Tamana." The older woman said.

"I get that a lot." Tamana replied with an awkward grin.

"But you know, that's a good thing. It's proof that Itachi lives on inside of you, just as Asuma lives on in Mirai." Kurenai added, smiling at the both of them, "Be sure to treasure it, the parts of your father that are now apart of the both of you."

"We will." Dango replied with a nod. At that moment, Tamana's stomach growled, and she turned bright red with embarrassment.

Kurenai chuckled, "I don't know what your preference is, but there's a tea shop just down the road from here. You two should have just enough time to stop in before the meeting."

Tamana smiled, "Ah, thanks! Come on, Oniichan."

"I'll see you two around! Come say hi if you see me!" Mirai called as they walked away.

"We will!" Tamana called over her shoulder.

一族

It didn't take the twins long to find the tea house, and they wasted no time in entering.

"Excuse me, we'd like a table for two please." Tamana said as they walked in. The older woman turned toward them with a tray in her hands before gasping in shock and dropping it. Fortunately, it had been empty. She stared at Dango as if he were a ghost before noticing Tamana standing next to him and apparently coming to her senses.

"Oh. Pardon me. For a moment there, I mistook ya for someone I once knew." The hostess explained as she took out a handkerchief and wiped her brow. Tamana tilted her head thoughtfully and studied the woman carefully. Going by her appearance, she was probably in her mid-forties, which indicated that she was several years older than their mother.

"...I'm sure this is going to sound weird, but... would your name happen to be Inari Shinko-san?" The teenaged girl asked.

"Huh?" The woman blinked in surprise. "Well that was my maiden name. Now I'm Yūhi Shinko. But how did you know...?"

Tamana pressed her fingers together happily, "Ah, I thought that might be who you were! You were our father's teammate when he was a rookie genin!"

"Tamana!" Dango chided, trying to remind her that their identities were not yet public information. Shinko stared at them with wide eyes.

"You two... are Itachi's kids?" She asked, almost unable to believe it.

Tamana apparently realized how shocking that information probably was for Shinko and looked down in a somewhat embarrassed manner.

一族

"I see." Shinko said after their existence had been explained to her. "I was just shocked when I heard what had happened, and right sad when Lord Seventh told everyone the truth. It pains me to know that Itachi went through all that." She smiled at the twins, "But it makes me right happy to know that he found someone that loved him and even had kids. Shame he never got to see you two though."

Tamana nodded and held her hand to her heart, "Yes, but... even though we never met him, Papa is always in our hearts."

Shinko smiled and then seemed to think of something, "Come to think of it, does your uncle know? I see your cousin come in here from time to time, but Sasuke never comes, so I never talk to him."

"Sasuke-jisan doesn't like sweets, so it's no surprise that he doesn't come here." Tamana explained. At this, Shinko laughed heartily.

"He's the exact opposite of his brother in that regard! The way Sarada eats sweets, I'd almost think that _she_ was Itachi's too!"

Tamana giggled at this, "I don't think he'd be too happy to hear you say that somehow..."

Shinko laughed and headed for the kitchen, "You two wait right here. I'll bring you Itachi's favorite."

* * *

This is almost a side story about Dango and Tamana's connection to Itachi, the Uchiha, and Konoha, which transcends both Itachi's death and the fact that they've grown up elsewhere. Dango has Itachi's bluntness, which sometimes results in him accidentally saying things that are a little insensitive, hence why Tamana, who is more aware of people's feelings, jabbed him in the ribs regarding his remark about Hidan being incapable of killing Itachi.


	5. What It Means to be Uchiha

Shortly after the twins had left, Naruto and Kawaki went up to his office and Amai followed the two of them with two pieces of clothing in her arms and a sewing kit that Hinata had lent her. She sat down on the couch in Naruto's office next to Kawaki and began sewing. Kawaki looked over at her while trying to act disinterested.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Working to finish these before the meeting later." Amai answered, "They're belated birthday gifts for the twins. The two of them have always been displeased about not being able to wear the Uchiha Crest, so I promised them that when we moved to Konoha, I would give them something new that they could wear over their other clothes. However, I still need to actually embroider the _kamon."_

"What's the big deal about wearing the crest?" Kawaki asked.

"It's _always_ been a big deal to the Uchiha, but for the twins, it gives them a sense of identity. It's a precious name that they inherited from their father." Kawaki seemed to scowl at this and Amai smiled knowingly. "It's important for me too." She added, "Whenever I wear this hairpin that I inherited from Sasuke-kun's mother, it's like declaring 'I belong to the Uchiha Clan. To Konohagakure. To the Land of Fire.' It's a reminder that I no longer belong to the wretched place that I came from." Kawaki raised a brow and Amai lowered her work and looked at him, "I've heard a bit about you, Kawaki-kun, and although I've never been through anything like you have... I can relate, to a point. I know what it's like to live in a world full of darkness, where the strong take advantage of the weak. I know the despair of feeling as though light can no longer reach you."

At this point, Boruto had come into the room and was standing in the doorway, listening. Even if Kawaki wasn't interested, he was. "What do you mean, Bachan?"

Amai returned to her embroidery as she spoke. "I was born in a small ninja village in a small country known as the Land of Medicine." She explained, "However, due to scientific advancements that resulted in the creation of powerful weapons, the village demilitarized when I was twelve, just after I'd completed my training to become a shinobi." Her brow furrowed as she worked, "For me, not becoming a shinobi wasn't a big deal. However, after the village demilitarized, many of the former shinobi didn't know what to do with themselves and became restless, including my parents. It was around that time that a certain clan began trafficking a drug in the village. It was a dangerous imitation of another clan's secret medicine, but they were marketing it as the real thing. Many former shinobi were tricked into taking it and became addicted, including my parents." She bit her lip as she continued sewing. "The village shifted then. People thought that the village would be more prosperous with the outlawing of weapons, but it was just the opposite. It became a place where the rich trampled upon the poor. Only those with money had any power. Whatever you'd been capable of as a shinobi no longer mattered. Although I had been a prodigy within my village, I was powerless to do anything when my parents became lost in their addiction and forgot about me and my younger sister. Then in one night, I lost my entire family, and as if to rub salt in my wounds, the clan that trafficked the drug forced me to take responsibility for my parents' debt. I was only thirteen years old. The only thing that I could do at that time was work constantly to try and pay off an impossible debt. It was just before I turned sixteen that I met Itachi-kun. Although he lived in a world of darkness himself, it was if he brought light into mine. When he paid my debt to save me from an unspeakable fate, it was almost as if he had taken me by the hand and pulled me out of the dark vortex that had swallowed me."

_Some people may call the kindest deed_

_An act of mere hypocrisy_

_But never mind those who have lost their faith_

_You shouldn't give in to what they say_

Amai sighed and looked back at Kawaki, "As I said, what you've been through is different from what I went through, but the fact is that horrible darkness exists in the world, with or without shinobi, and children are often its greatest victims." She looked over at Naruto, "Naruto-kun knows that better than anyone, I'm sure." At the mention of his name, Naruto looked up from his paperwork and Amai smiled at him. "Itachi-kun held you in very high regard, you know. He was impressed by how you bore the village's greatest darkness from birth, but refused to allow that darkness to crush you. He always hoped that you would become Hokage. He believed that you could lead the village into a new era of light, and I think it's safe to say that you've done exactly that."

Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well he helped me, ya know? He gave me some advice during the war. If he hadn't straightened me out, who knows what might've happened?"

"My husband was a very wise man. He was always able to see the things that others were missing." Amai said fondly, "But that he corrected you when you were wrong shows just how highly he thought of you."

"Wait, I thought Itachi-san died before the war?" Boruto said in confusion.

"That's another story for another time." Amai replied as she returned to her embroidery.

At that moment, Aiko came and lightly knocked on the door. "Amai-neechan, I'm heading out to see if I can find a shop that sells decent ninja tools. Do you want to come with me?"

"Huh?" Amai said in confusion, "But Aiko-chan, you always buy your ninja tools in Sora-ku."

"I know, but I'm so low at the moment that I don't even have enough for the trip there." Aiko replied. "It's troublesome, but I'll just have to see if I can find something... manageable... to see me there at least."

"Well, all right." Amai said as she set her sewing aside, "My tanto could use some maintenance anyway."

"If you're wanting good ninja tools, I'll show you to Tenten's shop." Naruto replied, "She carries the best tools in Konoha."

"Hn." Aiko acknowledged, "That may be true, but it doesn't mean that she carries tools that will satisfy me. I'm very particular about my shuriken and kunai. Still, until I can make it to Sora-ku, I'll take what I can get."

一族

"Seriously, _none_ of this is to your satisfaction?!" Tenten exclaimed in exasperation, "This is my best stuff!"

"I'm not saying that it's bad, Tenten-san, but I've always been very particular about my shuriken and kunai." Aiko said.

"It's true." Kakashi replied, "It was kind of an Uchiha thing back when. It's probably been engrained in her from the day she first _held _a ninja tool."

Aiko pulled out one her own kunai and carefully balanced it on one finger. "The weight of the kunai... the thinness of the blade, the position of its center-of-balance... I'm very particular about all of these things. Naturally the same goes for my shuriken."

"Aren't pretty much all shuriken and kunai the same?" Boruto asked.

"Far from it!" Aiko exclaimed, "All of these things affect the way that the tools behave when thrown, to say nothing of the materials used, the sharpness of the blades, and the symmetry! For shuriken specialists, these things are crucial!" She looked over at Sasuke in annoyance, "You haven't even taught this kid about the importance of ninja tool specs?!"

"I was more concerned with teaching him actual techniques." Sasuke replied.

"You realize that there's a _reason_ why our clan has always been so specific?"

"Um, Aiko-basan, can I see that kunai you're holding?" Sarada asked.

"Of course. You can't tell the difference unless you feel it." Aiko replied.

Sarada felt the weight of the kunai in her hand. "Amazing." She remarked, pushing her glasses up as she examined it, "It's totally different from any of the ones I've ever used."

Aiko looked utterly exasperated, "You've never even taken _Sarada-chan _to Nekobaa's shop?!"

"I haven't exactly had time." Sasuke replied.

Sakura blinked as Aiko turned to glare at her and put her hands up in defense. "I have a job too. I rarely leave town."

"Oh you poor kid. What have you been using all these years?" Aiko muttered. In response, Sarada offered the woman one of her own kunai and Aiko examined it.

"Hm... Well it's better than what Lord Sixth lent me as a kid but... even so..." She turned back to Sakura, "The Uchiha units down in the emergency storage bunkers should have some weapons stockpiled. They're outdated compared to what I use now, but still better than this."

Sakura sweat-dropped, "Why?" Was all that she could manage.

"In case of emergencies." Aiko replied bluntly, "Since the Uchiha have always been particular about their weapons, it was a clan policy that every clan member four and up had to dedicate a portion of their storage space to shuriken and kunai. If the village were ever destroyed, the way it was when Pain attacked, the clan would have an emergency supply of their preferred weapons on hand. Enough for the whole clan if need be."

Tenten looked annoyed, "I had to go all over the place to obtain weapons for us to use in the war and there was an entire clan's worth of weapons just sitting in storage in the bunkers?!"

"At the time, only Sasuke-niichan and I would've known about it." Aiko remarked flatly.

Naruto looked thoughtful, "Hey, when I think about it... isn't Kiba's girlfriend Nekobaa's granddaughter?"

Sakura's eyes widened, "Ah, you're right! I forgot that Tamaki-san lives in Konoha now!"

"She does?" Aiko said in surprise, "Come to think of it, I remember Nekobaa saying something about that..." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "That may work out well for both of us, Tenten-san."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tenten asked in confusion.

"Although her grandmother runs the actual shop, it's Tamaki-chan's entire clan that have provided weapons to the Uchiha for generations. Since she lives here in Konoha now, maybe the two of you can work out an arrangement to import our preferred merchandise to your shop. It would've been pointless when it was only Sasuke-niichan and Sarada-chan—especially with Sasuke-niichan gone most of the time—but with the rest of us moving back, it might be worth it. Your shop would get more business, and I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for the convenience of not having to make a day-trip every time I need to restock."

Tenten blinked and then smiled in excitement, "Hey, yeah! That might work! You guys must go through shuriken and kunai like crazy!"

"We might consider selling the old reserves down in the bunker to Tenten-san as well." Amai suggested, "You said that they were outdated compared to what you use now, but still better than what the average shinobi uses."

"That's true." Aiko said thoughtfully, "There's no point in having weapons stockpiled that we aren't going to use. I'd rather replace them with our current tools, and as small as the clan currently is, we don't need _that _many anyway. That being said, I think I'll go down there and see if I can find what I need to for my trip to Sora-ku. If Tenten-san can start importing our stuff, that's great, but I placed a custom order with Nekobaa about a month ago and I need to pick it up."

Tenten pouted, but Amai smiled kindly. "I still have business with you, Tenten-san." The Uchiha Matriarch said as she pulled her tanto out of the sleeve of her kosode, "Could you please do some maintenance work on this for me?"

Boruto and Sarada gaped at the woman. "Bachan..." Boruto began, "Have you been hiding that in your kimono this entire time?"

"Of course." Amai said with a smile. "I never go anywhere without this. Itachi-kun gave it to me for self-defense. It's very precious to me. Just carrying it with me... I feel like his love is always protecting me."

"And I thought _I_ was sentimental about weapons." Tenten remarked as she carefully withdrew the sword, "This is a really nice blade though. Lightweight... a nice, clean edge... a scabbard made of ebony. It even has the Uchiha crest on it. And the dragon scales on the hilt actually makes it easier to grip."

"He purchased it for me from Nekobaa, around the time that we started trying to have children." Amai replied with a soft smile before looking at the still astonished Boruto and Sarada. "Weapons were outlawed in my village. Because of my job, I usually wore a more formal kimono, instead of the kosode and hakama I'm wearing now, so Itachi-kun specifically asked for a blade that I could hide inside of the knot of my obi."

"If they were outlawed, then why give you one in the first place?" Kawaki asked bluntly.

"Because the law was both hypocritical and pointless. People carried far more dangerous items than my tanto without concern. Besides, if I need to, I can mold my chakra into a sword, so telling me that I couldn't carry a weapon was essentially pointless. However, that particular jutsu requires a great deal of my chakra. Itachi-kun was concerned that if I became pregnant, it might become dangerous for me to use it. That was why he gave me the tanto." She smiled softly, her expression nostalgic, "It was also proof of my identity. At the time, the scabbard of this sword was the only thing I owned that bore our clan's crest. Only his closest confidants knew of our marriage, but this sword was proof that I was an Uchiha." She closed her eyes as her hand brushed over the crest that was encrusted there, "There was one day when I berated myself for my general contempt toward the village, not this village, but the one where I was born. I felt... guilty... that I couldn't love it or remain loyal to it inspite of its darkness, the way that Itachi-kun loved Konoha. At that time, he comforted me saying, 'You are not a shinobi, and this is not a shinobi village. Even if it were, you do not belong to this place. No matter what darkness may exist there, I am Uchiha Itachi of the Hidden Leaf.' Then he smiled at me and added, 'Which means that you are Uchiha Amai of the Hidden Leaf. On the day you married me, you stopped belonging to the Howling Wolf Village and became a member of Konoha, so you don't need to worry about not being loyal to this place.'" Because of the presence of the children, she left out the fact that Itachi had also admitted to her that if Konoha had robbed him of Sasuke, the way that her village had essentially robbed her of her sister, Adzuki, he would likely have come to hate it too.

_As a matter of fact, just hear me out_

_Even if it was for a selfish cause_

_A salvageable hypocrisy_

_Is superior to murderous honesty_

Naruto smiled a bit and placed a hand on Amai's shoulder, "And he was right. Even if you had to wait before coming to live here, you and the twins have always belonged here, just like he did." He grinned, "If Itachi had told me that he was married during the war, I probably would've sent a shadow clone to find you and make sure you were safe!"

"Which is why he didn't." Amai replied with an amused smile, "Well that, and he couldn't take the risk of the enemy finding out about me. Not that it... mattered in the end..." Naruto chuckled and Amai's eyes drifted over to something in a display case, her face suddenly sparking with interest. "Hey, Tenten-san, what is this?"

"Huh?" Tenten carefully set the tanto aside to check what Amai was referring to. "Oh that. It's a shuriken necklace that I stocked for Oyako no Hi awhile back. It didn't sell very well though."

"I have one!" Himawari piped up before carefully pulling her necklace out from beneath her hoodie. "Papa bought it for me!"

"They're just a novelty item, nothing useful." Tenten admitted. "I guess they really aren't the type of thing that would sell in here."

"It's perfect." Amai said abruptly.

"Huh?" Tenten stammered in surprise.

Amai looked up at her, "I've been trying to find a gift to give to Tamana when she becomes a ninja. I've been planning to pass Itachi-kun's necklace onto Dango, but I don't really have an equivalent heirloom for Tamana. But Tamana _loves_ shuriken jutsu. She spends far more time practicing than is really necessary simply because she _enjoys_ performing those kinds of techniques. This necklace would be a perfect gift for my shuriken-obsessed daughter. Do you have it in dark blue?"

"Oh, uh, sure!" Tenten exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Sarada, do you want one as well?" Sasuke asked.

"I would feel weird going around with the same necklace as Hima-chan and Tamana-neesan." His daughter admitted with an awkward smile. Sakura whispered something in her husband's ear and Sasuke nodded with a small smile of understanding. Amai watched this and laughed softly.

"Wh-what?" Sarada asked, slightly embarrassed and having no idea what exactly her aunt thought was so amusing.

Amai smiled knowingly, "I bet you have to spend a lot of time interpreting between them, huh Sakura-chan?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Sakura-chan, I know about as well as anyone that the Uchiha are _terrible _communicators, especially between each other." The older woman replied in amusement before looking at Sarada, "Sarada-chan, your blood type is A, right?"

"Huh? How did you know that?" Sarada asked in surprise.

"Well for one thing, Sakura-chan is type O while Sasuke-kun is type AB, so you had to be either type A or B. You really don't strike me as somebody with a B personality, and besides, Itachi-kun had Type A, and you remind me a lot of him." Amai remarked.

"In what ways?" Sarada asked in confusion. She'd always been told she was like her father. This was the first time she'd _ever_ heard that she was like her uncle. Although, then again, not too many people seemed to know much about said uncle.

"Well, your fondness for sweets, for one thing." Amai said in amusement, "I named our son 'Dango' for a reason, after all. There's also the fact that Sakura told me that you love reading. Itachi-kun used to read everything he could get his hands on. I quickly found that one of the best gifts I could buy for him after his eyesight had deteriorated was books that were in Braille. He... had a lot of down time due to his health. And I imagine that brought with it quite a bit of boredom, knowing him."

"That reminds me... I've been meaning to ask..." Sarada said anxiously. "What... what exactly happened to our clan, anyway? The data files in the archive say that there are so few of us because of a 'great tragedy', but... it never says exactly what that tragedy was."

Amai and Aiko glanced at each other, and then Aiko sighed. "The fine details of that are something that your father will have to tell you about when he believes that you are ready, but... for now, it's sufficient to say that aside from your father, Itachi-niichan and I, the members of our clan were ravaged by a terrible illness."

"Illness?" Sarada asked in confusion, and Aiko nodded.

"It was a very common illness among shinobi in those days, but the Uchiha were more susceptible to it than most. In general, that may be because, in order to preserve the purity of the Sharingan, marrying outside of the clan was relatively rare, and so our bloodlines were much narrower than most. I was one of the rare exceptions to this, and while Sasuke-niichan and Itachi-niichan were the epitome of a narrow bloodline, Itachi-niichan possessed a rare immunity to the disease, while Sasuke-niichan managed to overcome it. However, his narrow bloodline may have contributed to the disease that Itachi-niichan _did_ pass away from, and in my case... well, it may have helped that my mother took me away from the village when I was still small." Aiko said.

"Do you think it will happen again?" Boruto asked, seeming slightly worried.

"It's not impossible, but I don't think it's likely." Aiko answered. "That disease is much less common in Konoha and the shinobi world in general nowadays. The twins, Nozomi, and I also have the advantage that our genomes our not as narrow as those who were lost to it. Sarada-chan is the most prone to illness out of all of us, but since Sasuke-niichan was able to overcome that illness, she probably has a higher immunity to it."

"Why am I the most prone?" Sarada asked, and Aiko smiled a bit wryly.

"Your genome is just slightly narrower than ours. The Uchiha descended from a man known as Indra, and so did your mother's clan, the Haruno. However, since the Haruno are one of the only clans descended from Indra that don't possess a Kekkei Genkai, they were never as picky about marriage as their sibling clans. Not to mention, out of all of the clans of Konoha, and perhaps, all shinobi clans period, they have always had the greatest immunity to this disease." The woman explained.

"Why is that?" Mitsuki asked curiously.

"It's hard to say..." Aiko replied thoughtfully, "About ten percent of shinobi have descended from the Ōtsutsuki Clan, and that lineage might play a part in how prone shinobi once were to this illness, but... Even those who are completely human were never immune."

"Wait... Ten percent of Shinobi descended from the Ōtsutsuki?" Sarada asked, scrunching her nose up in confusion.

"Yes, but... we're talking about a common ancestor from over a thousand years ago." Aiko sighed, "Most of the bloodlines have been heavily diluted to the point that most of her descendants are indistinguishable from ordinary humans. My father, who was an expert on the history of shinobi, theorized that it was even possible that the Haruno inherited little to no genetic material from them, which would explain why the Haruno Clan has, for the most part, been considerably lacking in power and talent when compared to their sibling clans. Your mother Sakura is a rare exception, one born only once in every three generations or so. The reason why is a story that you should hear from your parents."

"So Sarada, Hima, and I are of closer relation than most people?" Boruto asked, starting to connect the dots.

Aiko nodded, "The three of you are of particularly close relation. I've heard it said that if a person's chakra is altered, their DNA is altered as well. Naruto-kun, Sasuke-niichan, and Hinata-san are probably the three people most closely related to our ancestor in that regard. However, as Naruto and Hinata's son, Boruto-kun, you've inherited a unique mixture of chakra that hasn't been seen in at least 1000 years. That may be the reason why Momoshiki placed that mark upon you."

"You know about that?" Mitsuki asked.

"Only a little." Aiko replied with a shrug, "Sasuke-niichan consulted me when you first told him about it, but no such thing is ever mentioned in my father's research. But I have no doubt that he was interested in you for a reason."

"Come to think of it, he said something about me having strongly inherited the power of the Ōtsutsuki." Boruto said as he stared at his palm in thought.

"I don't doubt it." Aiko said with a nod, "Between Naruto-kun's... er... overly complicated chakra and Hinata-san's powerful chakra, it's no wonder that you and Himawari-chan are the way that you are. The same goes for Sarada-chan. She's practically a reincarnation of Indra's firstborn, but with a much better father to look after her."

"A better mother too." Sakura muttered, and Aiko raised a brow.

"You realize you just insulted yourself in a way?"

"The fact still stands." Sakura replied bluntly, leaving the children very confused.

"Amai-san, I've finished with your tanto, though it really didn't need much work." Tenten said.

"Oh, thank you Tenten. Let me pay you and then I'd better get going." Amai said, "The Council will be assembling soon."

Aiko frowned, her face somewhat perturbed, "I have to ask... will anyone from the Shimura be there?"

"Well they are still one of the clans of Konoha." Shikamaru said bluntly.

Aiko sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't attend this meeting..."

"What?! But you've been waiting for years to come back to Konoha!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, but..." Aiko sighed softly.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke-niichan... can I talk to you and Naruto-kun... in private?" His cousin asked.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other in confusion before looking back at her. "Sure Aiko-chan." With that, the two of them followed the Uchiha woman out of the shop.

* * *

Whew. I feel like this had some random stuff that I didn't originally plan to include somehow, but oh well. Also, not completely sure if Nekobaa is still alive or not, but hey, Homura and Koharu (The Third Hokage's Colleagues) are still alive, so why not? Sometimes people live a ridiculously long time in this serious. Like the lady who does the embroidery for the Hokages' haori.


	6. The Uchiha Outcast

"So... what did you want to talk to us about, Aiko-chan?" Naruto asked. The Uchiha woman had led him and Sasuke down to the emergency bunkers, where she was carefully combing through the Uchiha Clan's storage for useable weapons.

"Sasuke-niichan..." She begin slowly, "Does it... bother you... that I'm half-Shimura?" Sasuke's eyes widened and Aiko looked at the ground. "I know that's probably a stupid question to be asking at this point, but... I need to know, because... When I lived in Konoha before... I didn't have any friends, until the day that I met Naruto-kun... and that day... was the day that my father died..."

"What do you mean, Aiko-chan?" Naruto said in confusion, and Aiko slowly turned toward her friend.

"Naruto-kun, you don't remember, because Itachi-niichan erased your memories of it, but you were there when... no... perhaps its better for me to start from the beginning."

子どもの時

_Uchiha Aiko pulled herself up on the horizontal bar and spun over it, grinning as she did. It was only a couple of months after she had won first place in the village's shogi tournament. She'd been playing since she was only three or four, which was basically as long as she could remember. It was a game that her mother played with her every night, as part of Aiko's pre-academy training. However, right now, she wasn't training at all, at least not officially. Her father was fast asleep at home after having worked the nightshift at the precinct, and her mother was currently on duty, so she was by herself. She was strictly forbidden from leaving the compound without an adult, which meant she had to find ways to entertain herself until lunch. Uchiha Izumi, an older girl who often looked after her, had recently become a genin, so she was busy everyday, and... there really wasn't anybody else in the compound for her to seek out. She leaned and hung upside down on the bar from her knees. Her cousin Itachi was the best shogi player in the village after her, at least among the younger members of the clan, but he was in the ANBU, so who knew where he was right now? Uchiha Shisui would probably be a good opponent, but he was a jounin and one of the strongest in the clan, so she doubted that he had time even if he was in the compound. Beyond that... there really wasn't anybody. This was the first week of July. The Academy was on summer break, which meant that her cousin, Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, was probably at home, but... Sasuke wasn't as good at shogi as Itachi, and besides, she preferred not to go near the clan head's house. He and her father... were not on the best of terms. She sighed, feeling utterly bored. The fact was, she didn't have a single friend in the Uchiha Clan._

_"Ow!" Aiko cried in surprise when something suddenly struck her in the back of the head. "Whoa-oa-oh...! Oof!" Having lost her concentration, she fell off of the bar and face-planted on the soft turf beneath her. At the sound of some boys laughing, she sat up and glared over at the perpetrators, a trio of boys who were obviously members of her clan._

_"Look, it's the clan reject!" One of the boys said._

_"Clan reject?" Aiko echoed in confusion, and another one snorted in amusement._

_"Everyone in the clan has rejected your family because your mom is from the Shimura!" The second boy told her._

_Aiko huffed in frustration and got to her feet, "My mother is not a member of the Shimura! She renounced all ties to them when she married Papa!"_

_"Doesn't matter." The first boy said as he tossed another rock up and down in his hand, "A leopard can't change its spots, and someone who is half a leopard is just a freak!" He threw the stone at her, but Aiko ducked to avoid it before glaring back up at him._

_"You're wrong! I belong to the Uchiha just as much as you do! That's why everyone helped to save me when Iwagakure tried to kidnap me last year! Because we're all a family!"_

_"Tch, yeah right." One of the other boys said. "They only helped because Itachi-san had jumped in after you, and nobody wanted to lose him!" All three boys began to hurl stones at the younger child, and Aiko instinctively put her arms up to shield herself. Suddenly she heard the sound of running feet approaching her and she peeked out from between her arms._

_"Why don't you fight back, darn it!" The leader of the boys exclaimed as he moved forward to punch Aiko. Suddenly the girl vanished in a puff of smoke, instantly replaced by a log. "Wha?!" He cried in alarm._

_"A substitution!" One of his friends exclaimed._

_"There she is!" Another called out, pointing to Aiko as she ran down the street. Only there were three of her._

**_'Thank goodness Itachi-senpai taught me how to do Kawarimi no jutsu after the Iwa Incident last year!' Aiko thought to herself, 'But still... They're bigger and faster than me, and I don't know taijutsu... I need a way to lose them...' _**

_"She's using bushin no jutsu!"_

_"Figure out which one is real!"_

_Her clones didn't last long. Hoping to escape the three boys, Aiko sprinted into the grove of trees near Nakano Shrine and then began racing right up the trunk of one._

_"Wha?! Is she seriously climbing that tree with her feet?!" One of the boys exclaimed._

_"Darn! That little show-off!" The leader exclaimed, launching a shuriken at the girl. The shuriken grazed Aiko's ankle, causing her to lose concentration and her foot broke through the bark of the tree. The child cried out in pain and then screamed as she fell, only to feel a pair of arms wrap around her body. She opened her eyes just as Shisui landed on the ground while cradling her in his arms._

_"Shisui-san!"_

_The three boys gulped as Shisui glared at them sternly. "What did you think you were doing?" He demanded calmly._

_"We... we were just having some fun with her..." One of the boys managed. Shisui took note of the shuriken embedded in the tree, next to the mark left by Aiko's foot._

_"By throwing real shuriken at her?" He asked with a raised brow._

_"It's not our fault that she can use the tree climbing jutsu, but can't dodge a shuriken!" The boy who had thrown the shuriken insisted._

_"Nichi-san chooses to emphasize tactics for escaping enemies when training her, plus, she's a natural genjutsu type, so she comes by chakra control naturally." Shisui replied calmly. "But more importantly, Aiko-chan isn't even in the Academy yet. Throwing shuriken at her under any circumstances is inexcusable. Do you realize a fall from that height could've killed her?!"_

_"So what?" The boy asked, more not wanting to admit to his own guilt at this point. "She's the reason that Itachi-san almost drowned in the river! That's what my dad said!"_

_"That's not true." Itachi's voice broke through the trees and a moment later he appeared among them. "I didn't jump in the river just because Aiko-chan is a member of the Uchiha. I would've done that for any child of the village. That's my duty as a shinobi."_

_"But... It's all her family's fault!" One of the other boys exclaimed, "Our clan got blamed for the Kyuubi incident all because her mom was the Hokage's aide when it happened!"_

_"We were blamed by people who are afraid of the Sharingan, which Megumi-san doesn't have." Itachi said evenly. "The reality is that she had nothing to do with it."_

_"Besides, you three are probably too young to know this, but when Aiko-chan was born, Lord Fugaku expressly stated that her lineage shouldn't be held against her." Shisui added, "The Shimura don't even acknowledge her existence, and she has no bonds with them."_

_"Who are your parents?" Itachi asked._

_"M-My dad's name is Yashiro..." The boy who had thrown the shuriken managed._

_"My Dad is Tekka..."_

_"Mine's Inabi..."_

_Shisui sighed, "Should've figured." He looked down at the sniffling child in his arms. It was clear that she was trying not to complain about the pain she was in. "Aiko-chan, where is your father?"_

_"A-At home, sleeping." Aiko answered with a whimper. "Papa works the night shift at the precinct, and Mama works during the day, so I'm usually alone in the mornings."_

_Shisui nodded to her and looked at his friend. "What do you want to do, Itachi? Aiko-chan is injured and needs to be taken to the hospital, but somebody needs to take these three down to the precinct. I don't think something like this is really the ANBU's job."_

_Itachi nodded, "I'll take Aiko-chan and leave them to you."_

_Shisui nodded, standing up with Aiko in his arms. The little girl formed a sign with her hands, and suddenly, the three boys all screamed and fell to the ground. Shisui raised a brow as the boys came back to their senses. "What did you just do?" He asked her cautiously._

_"I made them experience the sensation of getting cut and falling from a high place like they caused me to do." Aiko replied. "Honestly, it wasn't that subtle of a genjutsu. They should've been able to see through it."_

_"Why you little...!" One of the boys began as Shisui handed the injured child over to Itachi. Aiko simply ignored the boy as she buried her face in Itachi's shirt._

_一族_

_"Itachi-senpai?" Aiko whimpered once they were in exam room at the hospital._

_"Yes?"_

_"Wh-Why do people say that my mama was connected to the Kyuubi incident?"_

_Itachi sighed, "There are people who blame the clan for that incident. Since your mother was Lord Fourth's aide, they claim that she must've leaked intel about the Kyuubi's whereabouts to the culprit. However, my mother and I happened to come across her that night. She was alone and scared. She was crying. If she had been conspiring with somebody to attack the village, then she would've gone somewhere safe ahead of time."_

_Aiko nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "Why do they keep blaming our clan though? I don't much about this, but... most of the grownups by now know where the Kyuubi is, right? If the clan were behind it, there wouldn't be much to stop them from trying again. But from what Papa said, every member of the Police Force was accounted for that night, so it can't have been one of us. A mere genin wouldn't have that kind of ability with the Sharingan."_

_Itachi smiled awkwardly and nodded, reaching over and patting Aiko's head. "Not everyone thinks about things as carefully as you do." He said._

_At that moment, a doctor came into the room. "Hi there. I hear you hurt your foot?"_

_"Um... sort of..." Aiko replied awkwardly as the iryounin approached her. The woman grimaced at the sight of Aiko's cut and scraped leg with various splinters sticking out of her sandal. She looked over at Itachi._

_"This... doesn't look like a training injury." She said pointedly._

_"It's a long story..." Itachi replied._

_"And you're... her older brother?"_

_"Cousin." Itachi corrected, "Aiko-chan's parents were both unavailable at the moment."_

_"They should keep a better eye on their daughter..." The kunoichi muttered as she picked up a pair of tweezers to start removing the splinters from Aiko's sandal. Aiko's cheeks puffed out in anger, but Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder to tell her that it was best to keep quiet. Aiko nodded before she bit her lip and did her best to endure the pain as the doctor removed every last piece of wood from her sandal._

_"None of the splinters went through her sole, although a few pierced above there, and a few got lodged near her toes." The medic remarked as she dabbed the injured spots on Aiko's now bare foot with some antiseptic. "This cut on her leg is clean. Is it from a ninja tool?"_

_"She was near the training grounds when it happened." Itachi lied. Both he and Aiko knew that it was best if nobody from outside the clan learned of the incident. The kunoichi just raised a brow before dabbing some medical ointment on the injuries._

_"Her ankle is sprained too. Probably happened when the wood gave way beneath her feet." She remarked, "But it will be fine with ice and rest. Make sure to tell her parents about it."_

_"Right." Itachi said._

_一族_

_"You were very brave while the doctor was treating you." Itachi told Aiko as he carried her through the compound._

_"When I become a ninja, I'll probably end up with worse injuries than that." Aiko replied. Itachi laughed nervously at her pragmatic view and she leaned her head against his neck. "Why do other people in the clan hate me? I can't help who my relatives are."_

_"Yashiro-san, Tekka-san, and Inabi-san don't like the village too much." Itachi replied, trying to keep the explanation as simple as he could, "Also, I know this probably doesn't make you feel any better, but both they and their sons are probably jealous of how smart you are. You are the best shogi player in the clan. That intellect is something that you got from your mother, so they try to use her heritage to justify being mean to you."_

_Aiko rolled her eyes, "Being a good ninja and being good at shogi are two different things. Sarutobi Asuma, the Hokage's son, is a member of the Guardian Twelve, and he's terrible at shogi." Itachi laughed awkwardly again as he turned onto the pathway leading to his front door._

_"I'm home." He announced as he opened the door and carried Aiko inside._

_"Oh! Itachi! What are you doing here?" Mikoto asked in confusion._

_"Niisan!" Sasuke exclaimed as he came running to greet his brother. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the sight of Aiko on Itachi's back._

_"Aren't you supposed to be on duty right now?" Mikoto asked._

_"Something came up." Itachi replied._

_Aiko frowned. "You skipped out on work to help me?" She asked incredulously._

_"Looking out for the children of the village is part of the ANBU's job too, you know." Itachi told her with a kind smile as he shifted her around in his arms. "My supervisor knows where I've been, so it's fine." He looked at his mother, "Kaasan, Aiko-chan was injured in a scuffle with some other kids. Her dad's asleep right now, so can you look after her until he gets up? I need to be getting back."_

_"Oh, of course." Mikoto said as she took Aiko into her arms._

_"Aw..." Sasuke whined, "You can't stay?" Itachi reached forward and poked his brother's forehead._

_"Forgive me, Sasuke. Some other time." He looked back at his mother, "I'll leave a note at her house to let Nichi-san know where to find her."_

_Mikoto nodded and looked at Aiko as Itachi left. "Well then, what would you like to do, Aiko-chan?"_

_"The doctor said that I need to rest and ice my ankle, but... I don't particularly wanna be inside..." Aiko admitted._

_"Why don't you sit on the engawa then?" Mikoto suggested. "Sasuke is practicing his shuriken jutsu in the backyard."_

_"It's not practice, it's training." Sasuke insisted as he looked at his cousin, "You can train with me if you want to, Aiko."_

_"But... I don't know how to throw shuriken." Aiko replied._

_"You don't?!" Sasuke asked incredulously, "Then I'll teach you!"_

_"Sasuke! She's supposed to be resting." His mother scolded._

_"It's fine. She doesn't have to stand up." Sasuke told his mother. "I can teach her from the step."_

_Mikoto sighed, "Fine." She set Aiko down on said step carefully. "I'm going to go get some ice and a pillow for your foot, Aiko-chan. Sasuke, make sure she doesn't cut herself on the shuriken. She's already had one injury today."_

_"Okay." Sasuke said before walking over to the target on the far wall and proceeding to remove the shuriken he'd already been throwing at it. "So what happened to you anyway?" He asked as he carefully yanked the shuriken out._

_Aiko looked at her lap, "Some other kids were bullying me." She didn't want to tell her cousin the reason why._

_"So why didn't you fight back?" Sasuke asked as he walked over to her._

_"I don't know how." Aiko admitted. "My training focuses on being able to run away. Papa says that's more useful at my age. It's not like I'll be going on missions any time soon."_

_"Doesn't seem so useful if you get hurt by bullies." Sasuke said flatly._

_Aiko nodded slowly, admitting his point. "I tried to tell them to stop, but they wouldn't go away. When they tried to punch me, I used the jutsu that your brother taught us last year and then I used clone jutsu to try and lose them and then I tried to climb a tree and that's when they started throwing shuriken at me."_

_"Shuriken?!" Sasuke asked incredulously. Even he knew better than to throw shuriken at another kid, and he was only in the first grade. Ninja tools were strictly barred from Academy sparring matches._

_"Aiko-chan, were you in the compound when this happened?" Mikoto asked as she propped up Aiko's injured foot and placed some ice on it._

_"Of course. I'm not allowed to leave the compound by myself. I almost never leave the compound even when I'm with Mama and Papa. To be perfectly honest, Lord Danzou scares me." Aiko replied, "The way he was looking at me after the shogi tournament... I'm pretty sure I would've been dead if he had the Sharingan like Papa."_

_Mikoto sighed softly and stroked the child's hair, "Well don't you worry. I'll make sure those kids apologize to you properly."_

_"I appreciate that, Lady Mikoto, but an apology is pointless if they don't mean it." Aiko said._

_"You can't just let them keep bullying you!" Sasuke insisted._

_"I'm not saying that they shouldn't get in trouble, but they're forced to apologize to me, and then what? They're embarrassed because they had apologize when they didn't want to and then they're mad because they were embarrassed and they blame me for that and then the next time is worse." Aiko told him. "I don't want things to get worse, so it's better to just leave well enough alone."_

**_Everyone tells you from time to time_**

**_To never give up like a scene from a movie_**

**_They tell you to stand up for yourself_**

**_As if it was always that easy_**

今時

"I'm pretty sure you thought I was just a big chicken at the time, but the course of action that I chose that day was the same one that my parents had chosen after the kidnapping attempt a year earlier." Aiko explained to Sasuke as she finished her story, "The clan called for the village to declare war on Iwa for trying to kidnap one of its children. My parents adamantly opposed such actions, saying that we should be content that Iwa, who denied any knowledge of the matter, was allowing Konoha to deal with the perpetrators. It didn't really do much for my father's already unfavorable position within the clan." She sighed as she looked back at the kunai in her hand. "My father was also against retaliating against the village for our clan's mistreatment, but it wasn't because he was a 'traitor' to the clan as the radicals believed. Quite the contrary. Nobody was more loyal to the clan than my father, and that was precisely _why_ he opposed a rebellion. When it came right down to it, my father knew things that nobody else did."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"By now you know that Kurozetsu was manipulating the clan and its circumstances to suit his purposes." Aiko remarked, turning the blade of the kunai slightly so she could see her reflection. "My father's hobby was historical research. Although he studied the entire shinobi world, he focused primarily on the history of the Uchiha and of Konoha. It was for that reason that, as a child, he became the student of the First Hokage, in order to learn everything he could about the events of the past. Somewhere along the line, he became aware of Kurozetsu's influence, and became determined not to dance to that monster's tune."

"Why didn't he say anything?" Naruto asked.

"Who would've believed him?" She asked. "You may find this to be impertinent, but... if you were in your his shoes at the time, would you have believed in a story that our clan's entire history had been molded by some strange creature that had been haunting us since Indra was a child? Would you have believed that if you hadn't heard it straight from the horse's mouth? Because when you think about it, it literally sounds crazy."

Naruto couldn't really argue with that and conceded her point.

"Perhaps the constant walls that Kurozetsu was creating between my family and both the clan and the village were the reason why I felt so isolated and connected so easily with you, Naruto-kun, but Kurozetsu took advantage of even that."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, and Aiko looked back over at him.

"What you remember about the day we met and what actually happened aren't quite the same." She explained, "We didn't part ways in the forest at sunset. Actually, I invited you to come have dinner with my parents and I, and we snuck into the compound by going through the forest." She looked back at the kunai, carefully rubbing her thumb on it in thought. "We took a kind of roundabout way to avoid the security cameras used to keep the clan under surveillance. My father had taught me how to avoid being seen by them. However, just when we had almost reached my house, we were intercepted by a spy from Root who had been planted among the Uchiha. He chastised me for bringing you to the compound, but I defiantly refused to renounce my friendship with you. My father, who had come looking for me, came across the three of us and defended my decision to be friends with you. The next thing I knew, I saw someone that I thought was a member of my own clan plunging a kunai into my father's abdomen, striking his vital organs with deadly accuracy." She set down the kunai and placed a hand to her head, "To be honest, I don't really remember what happened after that. It's all kind of a blur. The only thing I know for sure was that my Sharingan was awakened in that moment." She sighed and looked back up at Naruto, "The reason why you don't remember this was because Itachi-niichan had been nearby with Izumi-neechan and had come running when he heard me scream. He didn't want you to feel as though the incident was your fault somehow, so he used a genjutsu to erase your memories of it. He didn't want you to have to carry any more burdens than you already did."

Naruto looked sympathetic toward Aiko and nodded in understanding.

Aiko sighed softly, "To be honest, I don't know if Kurozetsu also somehow arranged our meeting, or if he simply took advantage of it. Heck, I don't even know if it was truly Danzou's spy, or a Shirozetsu who killed my father. Despite that, understand, Naruto-kun, that I never once regretted becoming your friend."

At that, Naruto smiled softly.

"That was far from the end of things between me and that freak of nature. After we left Konoha, he haunted me for close to a year, tormenting me with reminders of what happened. There was one night where he trapped me in a genjutsu while I slept. My mother couldn't counter it. If Itachi-niichan hadn't been staying the night with us..." She sighed, "After that, Itachi-niichan got him to leave me alone somehow, at least until he passed away. After that, he was right back at it. When I set out to try and find you, Sasuke-niichan, during the Gokage Summit, he arranged for me to be attacked, hoping to break me either mentally or physically. He didn't count on my determination to resist the Curse of Hatred."

"How did you manage to do that?" Sasuke asked. "I never understood how you or my brother were able to remain so strong..."

"For Itachi-niichan... I think he resisted the Curse by choosing to focus on the love in his heart instead." Aiko said thoughtfully, "At that point though, I had nobody to love. I was an outcast in Yamasato too. The other kids knew that my father had been a shinobi and that I had at least some training, and that scared them. But I made a promise to my parents and I knew... that if I intended to keep it, I would need to take steps to strengthen my heart." She smiled sadly and looked up at Naruto, "Do you remember, Naruto-kun? My training at the Waterfall of Truth?"

Naruto smiled a bit. "Yeah."

_若い者の時_

_"You're coming along nice, Naruto. But you still lack control, don't you know!" Killer Bee said in his usual rap-style of speech._

_"Yeah." Naruto said. "But I can feel that I'm getting stronger."_

_"Lord Killer Bee!" A Chuunin from the Hidden Cloud called as he appeared from within the forest._

_"Yo! What's all the fussin' about, fool, you fool?" Bee asked._

_"A... A giant summoning falcon has just landed on the island!" The Chuunin reported._

_"What?" Captain Yamato said in surprise._

_"Hm?" Naruto said as he looked to the side._

_"What's up, Naruto? Do you know who's here, bro?" Bee asked._

_Naruto grinned. "Yeah. You guys can relax. It's just an old friend."_

_その間に_

_"Now let's see..." Aiko muttered to herself. "I managed to find the island, but how am I supposed to locate—"_

_"Yo! Aiko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he suddenly burst out of the trees._

_"Oh, Naruto-kun!" The brunette said in surprise. "I wasn't expecting to see you here!" She took note of his appearance and smiled, "Looks like you've learned how to control the Kyuubi."_

_"You knew about the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked in surprise._

_"You do realize that when Pain attacked Konoha, you could be seen all the way from my training spot?" She asked._

_"Oh..." Naruto said with a sweat-drop. "Well anyway, what are you doing here, Aiko-chan?"_

_"I came here to train at the Waterfall of Truth." Aiko told him, "Okaasan told me about it. But... I didn't expect that the Shinobi Alliance was using the island right now. If my being here is a problem, then I'll leave immediately."_

_"Why'd you come from nowhere near, just to train at the waterfall here?" Killer Bee asked._

_"Your mom must be worried." Naruto added. "Isn't this the first time that you've ever left the Land of Fire?"_

_Aiko's gaze fell. "Okaasan is... she's gone, Naruto-kun..."_

_"What?" Naruto asked, obviously caught off guard by that statement._

_"During the Five Kage Summit... An old enemy set their sights on me, and... Okaasan died while trying to protect me." Aiko held her arms in front herself self-consciously, as if she were afraid. "That's why... I came here. I want to confront the darkness within my heart. Otherwise, I may lose myself to it, and I... I can't let that happen. I promised her that I wouldn't."_

_"What do you think, Naruto? See any problem with letting her go?" Bee asked._

_"Nah. Aiko-chan's a good friend, and she's telling the truth. I'd know if she came here for a different reason." Naruto assured his mentor. "Come on Aiko-chan, I'll show you the way."_

_"Thank you, Naruto-kun."_

_一族_

_Naruto led Aiko to the Waterfall of Truth, and at his instruction, the sixteen-year-old girl sat down on the island within the pond to meditate._

_"So, you think that you can simply banish me?"_

_Aiko opened her eyes to find another her standing there, only this girl's eyes were red and black. "You are..."_

_"I'm the other you that you're so afraid of." The girl answered as Aiko stood up. "Do you really think you can get rid of me? Why would you even want to? After all, deep in your heart, you know that I'm not the problem." Aiko made no reply, only staring at the other version of herself, waiting for her to continue. "Just think about it. We've been alone, all our lives. Everywhere we've ever gone, we were always outcasts. Okaasan, Papa, and Itachi-niichan were the only ones who ever cared about us, and they're gone. Well, I guess maybe Naruto cares, but it's not like he's a dependable presence. To the Shimura, we were a parasite to be exterminated, to the Uchiha, we were bad luck. To Konoha, our very existence made us a menace to society. In Yamasato, people think that we're weird to say the least. Who was it that made us that way? The relatives who rejected us and the villages that feared us. Why don't we give them a reason to be afraid?"_

_"Doing that won't solve anything." Aiko said calmly as she slowly approached her other self. "I understand now. You aren't the hatred within my heart, you're my fear. You, or maybe I should say 'I', fear being alone, being rejected. We fear the security of our very existence. But taking revenge for our suffering won't solve any of that. If we become what they fear, then their fear and hatred towards us will only grow. They'll actively seek to destroy us. I understand now. Only by facing the fear within and reaching out to connect with others, can I overcome the walls that exist between myself and others."_

_"You think you can get rid of me that easily?!" The other her demanded._

_"No." Aiko said, reaching forward and embracing her other self, "I don't intend to get rid of you at all. Having courage doesn't mean getting rid of fear. You are a necessary part of me. Fear is what enables people to understand danger. It enables us to survive. At the core, you exist to protect me, to keep me safe. My courage exists help me overcome the things that you can't protect me from on your own. Like yin and yang, or light and dark, two opposing forces coexisting side-by-side to promote harmony. So for once, don't be afraid, because I will never reject you. You are a part of me. A part that I cannot live without."_

_"That's right..." The other her said, as if remembering, "That's the reason why I exist... to ensure your continued existence. Thank you for accepting me..."_

**_There is a handful of courage in my heart_**

**_That is waiting to shine on my darkest day_**

**_And I'll never take it for granted_**

**_Let's go_**

_A warm light enveloped them both, and when Aiko opened her eyes, she found herself sitting on the island again. She stood up and turned back to Naruto and Killer Bee._

_"How did it go?" Naruto asked._

_Aiko nodded to him as she walked over to him. "I understand myself better now. I don't have to be so afraid any more." She hugged her friend. "Thank you for helping me, Naruto." She pulled away and smiled weakly at him, "I can't help you in the upcoming war, but... I know, if anyone has the power to change the way things are, it's you. After all, you have the strongest Will of Fire in all of Konoha."_

_"You know about the Will of Fire?" Naruto asked in surprise._

_"My parents both believed in it very strongly and taught me all about it." Aiko said with a sad smile, "Thanks to my training here, I feel certain now that my own flame will not go out." She blinked as her eyes sparked slightly with tears, "That reminds me... remember how my mother warned you before to 'beware the sorrow of Juugoya'?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Be especially careful this year." She warned him, "It seems that the curse will be stronger this year than it ever has before."_

_"Why is that?" Naruto asked._

_"Juugoya is a blood moon this year." Aiko told him, "According to my father's research, because of the shadow that our planet will cast upon the moon, the light of the sun will not be able to suppress the curse as much as it normally does."_

_"I'll uh, I'll keep that in mind." Naruto said with a sweat-drop._

今時

"You were totally right about that too." Naruto said, "That was definitely the worst Juugoya ever."

"Without a doubt, but fortunately, that's all in the past." Aiko said as she loaded her holster. "When the two of you resealed Kaguya, you were in another dimension, and you made sure Kurozetsu was sealed too, so we no longer have to bear the curse of her hatred."

"You no longer have to endure the hatred of others either, Aiko." Sasuke told her, "Like you just said, everything that happened back then is in the past. There's no reason that it should impact the future." He held his hand out to his younger cousin, "You don't need to be afraid of being rejected anymore. You'll never be an outcast in Konoha, never again."

Aiko smiled softly and accepted her cousin's hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"It's just like my mother told you when we were kids. The Uchiha are all one family. You'll always belong with us."

* * *

This story is turning out quite a bit longer than I initially thought it would be, but I'm fine with that, because I honestly was afraid that it would just totally lack substance and the added volume has been useful for developing the twins' characters and building an actual familial bond between Sasuke and Aiko.


	7. The Secret History of Konoha

"Oh, there you guys are." Amai said with a smile as she looked up from where she was sitting with her sewing. "I was worried you were going to be late. Even though it's pretty hard to hold a meeting of the Jounin Counsel without the Hokage. Did you manage to find what you were looking for, Aiko-Chan?"

"Yeah, I found something that will work until I can make it to Sora-ku." Aiko said. "I also found this." She added while holding up an old shuriken, "I'd forgotten that I had put it down there." She smiled up at her cousin, "Remember, Sasuke-niichan? You gave this to me on that day."

"You have a better memory than I do." Sasuke admitted.

"Well I interacted with our relatives a lot less than you did." She remarked as she put the shuriken somewhere safe. "The few interactions that I had with you and Itachi-niichan back then tend to stick out in my mind."

"Okaasan!" Tamana called as she ran up with Dango, "We aren't late, are we?"

"You got here just in time." Amai said.

Dango sighed with relief, "We kept getting stopped by people who had known Otousan..." He explained.

"I think they saw Oniichan and thought he was a ghost." Tamana added with an awkward smile. "Or an edotensei."

"I can't really say I blame them for that." Shikamaru admitted as he joined the group, "And I only ever saw a picture of him."

"It's just because people don't pay enough attention to details." Amai remarked with amusement as she stood up, "_I _could tell the difference any day, and the fact that Itachi-kun is no longer here has nothing to do with that."

"Let's go on inside." Shikamaru said. "The others should be here shortly."

Amai nodded and sighed with relief. "Time to remove the genjutsu that I placed on my hairpin." She said to herself as she formed a sign. "After today, I should never have a reason to hide it again."

"That reminds me," Naruto said, "I'll need to give you guys a tour of the village once we're done with the meeting. There are a lot of facilities that didn't exist back when you lived here before, Aiko-chan. Not to mention that Amai and the twins are more or less new here."

"It's not as if any of us haven't been here since the war, Naru—Er, Nanadaime." Aiko said, "I just... never told anyone my surname, and the twins have always used transformations up until now to avoid sticking out."

"We should've done that today..." Dango muttered, and Amai snorted in amusement.

"You were going to the _graveyard_. Unless you made yourselves look at least my age, you would've stuck out no matter what, considering whose graves you were visiting." She told her son as she took her seat. Dango nodded as he and Tamana sat in the extra seats beside Amai, and Aiko sat down next to them.

一族

"So, what's the reason for this meeting?" Mitokado Homura asked when everyone had been assembled.

"First, I want to introduce Uchiha Dango and Uchiha Tamana." Naruto said, "They're moving into the village with Amai-san, and will be joining our ranks as genin just as soon as I find a team for them."

"Dango is the next head of the Uchiha Clan." Amai told them as both twins stood up and bowed politely to the Council, "However, even though it would not be unusual for him to begin those responsibilities now, considering the circumstances, I would like for him to gain some experience both in the world and as a shinobi first."

"That makes sense." Ino agreed, "There's a lot that he can only learn through experience. Shikamaru and I were both about the twins' age when we became the heads of our clans, but we'd both been shinobi for four years, not to mention that we were Chuunin who'd been on the frontline during the war. That kind of experience isn't something that just comes with age."

Naruto nodded and then moved on, "Second, I want to introduce an old friend, who's finally returning to the village after a long time."

At this, Aiko stood up. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm Uchiha Aiko."

At this, everyone's eyes widened.

"Uchiha... Aiko...?" Homura's colleague Utatane Koharu managed, "Are you the _same_ Uchiha Aiko that was born to Uchiha Megumi and Uchiha Nichi about two years after the war?"

"Yes." Aiko said with a nod.

"I can't believe this..." Homura managed, "We all thought... or... I guess we assumed, that..."

"Please allow me to explain." Aiko interrupted. "Roughly one year before the tragedy, my father Nichi was murdered in the forest near the compound. To this day, I am unsure if the culprit was a member of Root, or a Shirozetsu disguised as a member of Root. Regardless, the incident was enough to make my mother believe it was better to leave Konoha. Or perhaps, more accurately, it gave her an excuse to take me and leave. My parents were naturally aware of the tensions within the clan at that time. Although they were opposed to what the clan was planning, there wasn't much that they could do about it. When my father died, my mother took that as an opportunity to retire as a ninja, leave the clan, and take me to live in a more rural part of the Land of Fire, under the premise that since I did not have the Sharingan, I could not be bound to the clan."

"But wasn't your mother Uchiha herself?" Ino asked in confusion.

"No." Aiko said with a shake of her head, "Okaasan was originally from the Shimura Clan. How she came to marry my father and enter into the Uchiha Clan is a bit long and... complicated. However, given Shimura Danzou's ostensive hatred for the Uchiha, returning to the Shimura wasn't even a remote option. He particularly had it in for me. My mother knew that, and it was for that reason that she chose to leave the village. The only people outside of the clan who knew of this matter were the Third Hokage and a handful of ANBU, including Lord Sixth. Officially, my mother renounced the Uchiha name and we were subsequently removed from the clan's records as if we had never existed. We left Konoha and not even Lord Third knew where we had chosen to live. The fewer people who knew our location, the slimmer the chances of Danzou finding us. As it stands, in all this time, the only three people who knew of both my true identity and my location were Lord Sixth, who had found out during a certain mission with the old Team 7, my cousin Itachi, who managed to find us after he infiltrated the Akatsuki, and Sasuke-niichan, who I told after the war was over. Itachi-niichan took it upon himself to train me and to aid my mother in kindling my Will of Fire."

"So you never awakened the Sharingan?" Chouji asked, and Aiko laughed awkwardly.

"Actually, I awakened it on the night of my father's death, but the only people who knew that for certain were my mother, Itachi-niichan, and our friend, Uchiha Izumi." She explained, "The three of them conspired to keep it a secret so that my mother could safely take me away from the conflict."

"Come to think of it, by now, you have the Mangekyou Sharingan, don't you?" Rock Lee said. "That's why a pink Susanoo was seen in the mountains earlier today, right?"

"That's correct." Aiko said with a nod, "My Mangekyou Sharingan was awakened when my mother died shortly before the war. At any rate, the agreement between my mother and Lord Third was that when I became an adult, I could return to the village as Uchiha Aiko."

"Then why wait so long to do so?" Hyuuga Hanabi asked.

"Various reasons." Aiko told her, "The first was that Konoha was too unstable immediately after the war. In addition to the loss of many shinobi, the village was a disaster as a result of the Divine Tree's roots. On top of that, there was a political instability that remained a faction for many years. Even after two years had passed, some of the former members of Root were still causing problems despite Danzou's death. And then there was the whole 'exploding humans' thing. The upheaval lasted for quite a while. In fact, things were still considered politically unstable when I was asked to train the twins. I think around the time I finally felt they had settled down enough was about the time that I became pregnant with my daughter, Nozomi. After that, my husband and I decided that we would wait until she was old enough to enter the Academy."

"Your husband?" Inuzuka Kiba asked, "Where is he?"

Aiko's gaze fell. "He..."

"It was my fault!" Tamana suddenly burst out, her tears spilling over. "I'm sorry, Aunt Aiko! I should've sensed him! You trained me better than that! How could I have failed to notice him when even Nozomi-chan sensed his presence?!" She suddenly winced in pain, screwing her eyes shut as she tried to massage them with her hand.

"Tamana." Sasuke said, his voice carrying a note of alarm as he knelt in front of his niece. She open her eyes a moment later and blinked a little to clear her vision as Sasuke took in the sight of her new Sharingan and sighed. "It finally awakened..." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Use the eyedrops that Sakura gave to you. The pain will subside soon." Tamana nodded and pulled out her eyedrops.

"Tamana-chan, sweetie, it wasn't your fault." Aiko assured her gently, "Nozomi may not have sensed Jigen either. She may have just happened to look in the right direction at the right time. He masked his chakra before approaching the house."

"Jigen?" Hanabi said in confusion.

"The Uchiha were attacked earlier today by Jigen, the leader of Kara." Shikamaru explained. "That was the reason that Aiko used her Susanoo up in the mountains."

"I'm sorry..." Tamana sniffed, reaching up to wipe away her tears, "This is hardly the time or the place for me to be crying about Uncle Koujirou's death."

Amai sighed in exasperation and put her hand on Tamana's shoulder. "Tamana, we've talked before about bottling up your emotions. You can't always just wait for 'the right time' to process things, sweetie." She hugged her daughter close to her, "I swear, you are most definitely your father's daughter."

Tamana's breath hitched as she clung to her mother. "Okaasan..."

"Ah... Why don't we take a fifteen-minute recess to let the Uchiha get their bearings?" Shikamaru suggested awkwardly.

"Yeah, I think that is a good idea." Kakashi agreed.

"Way to be insensitive, Kiba!" Ino chided as the rest of the council filed out of the room.

"How was I supposed to know?!" Kiba asked.

"It didn't need to be said." Aburame Shino told him, "If you want to know why..."

一族

Meanwhile, at the house, little Nozomi muttered softly and finally opened her eyes. Naruto looked over at her from where he'd been reading a book.

"Hey there. How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" Nozomi asked, seeming a little disoriented. "Where's... where's Mama?!" She suddenly sat up in alarm, trying to figure out where she was.

"Aiko-chan is fine." Naruto assured her, "But she had to go to an important meeting, so she asked me to look after you."

"Oh..." Nozomi said, her gaze drifting to her lap. Sarada frowned from where she'd been chatting with Boruto and Kawaki on the other couch and walked over to the younger girl, crouching down to her level.

"Hi there, Nozomi-chan." She said softly, "We've never met before, but I'm your cousin, Uchiha Sarada."

"Sarada... neechan?" Nozomi asked uncertainly, and Sarada nodded to her with a soft smile.

"That's right."

Suddenly, much to Sarada's surprise, the younger girl flung herself into her cousin's arms, clinging to her tightly as she sniffled. Her gaze softened and she wrapped her arms around Nozomi, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay..." She said gently.

"Papa..." Nozomi whimpered, "Why did he do it? If it had been me, I might have..."

Naruto frowned and walked over to the two girls, kneeling down to Nozomi's level, "Because you're his daughter. A real parent will do anything they have to to protect their child." He looked down quietly, "When I was born, my parents both died to protect me."

Sarada nodded, "I ended up accompanying Lord Seventh on a mission a while back, and when the enemy tried to attack me, Papa shielded me with his own back."

"It's just what parents do." Hinata said as she walked over from the kitchen, "My father was also willing to die for my sake when I was small. As parents, our children are precious to us, and we do whatever we have to for their sake."

"Your Touchan wasn't a shinobi, Nozomi, but he was just as brave as one." Naruto told her.

"Yeah..." The young Uchiha said quietly.

"Would you like something to eat, Nozomi-chan?" Hinata asked, but Nozomi shook her head quietly.

"You really should eat something." Sarada encouraged, "The Sharingan drained almost all of your energy when you awakened it earlier."

Nozomi looked up at her, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "Sharingan? That's that thing where Mama and Tamana-neechan's eyes turn red, right?"

"Uh-huh." Sarada said with a nod, "It's a special ability of the Uchiha Clan. But even I get tired from using it, so I bet it really wiped you out. You should eat to get your strength back."

"Okay..." Nozomi relented.

"Nozomi-chan, what do you like to eat?" Hinata asked gently.

"...Amai-basan's sweets..." Nozomi answered slowly, "Mama is... not a very good cook. Although she does make good dango."

Sarada and Naruto laughed nervously at that.

Hinata looked thoughtful, "Amai-san specializes in making traditional sweets, doesn't she?"

"Yeah!" Nozomi said with a nod, "She runs... or, I guess she ran... a traditional cafe in Yamasato! She says that's how she and Itachi-jisan met, back when she lived in the Land of Medicine!"

Sarada laughed, "It's funny that Itachi-jisan liked sweets. Papa hates them. He prefers tomatoes. Blech!"

Nozomi giggled, "Yeah. But Obasan told me that Itachi-jisan and Sasuke-jisan both liked onigiri, just with different fillings."

"Oh..." Sarada said with interest, "Nozomi-chan, I think you might know more about my uncle than I do."

"Obasan likes to talk about him a lot." Nozomi replied, "She says that remembering makes her happy." Suddenly her face fell, "Will it make me happy too, someday? Right now, thinking about Papa... makes me want to cry..."

_All that we love and hold so dear_

_Could disappear one day without warning_

_Oh, we fear if we get to close to it_

_We'll lose it all in a heartbeat_

Hinata stroked the child's hair, "It will. Someday." She assured her, "I once lost somebody very dear to me, and I felt the same way back then that you do now. It took a long time, but... now I'm able to look back on those memories and smile." Nozomi looked up at her and Hinata smiled gently, "What you're feeling is perfectly normal, Nozomi-chan. Amai-san was also very sad when she lost Itachi-san. Even then, she talked about him a lot, but there were also times when she cried without stopping because she missed him so much. Someday, you'll be able to look back on those memories and smile, but there's no need to rush. Just take your time."

Nozomi sniffled, but nodded in response. Sarada smiled gently and tried to redirect the younger girl's attention.

"Well then, since you like traditional sweets, I'll take you to a cafe where we can have some along with some tea." She offered.

"I'll go too!" Himawari exclaimed as she rushed over, causing Nozomi to look at her in slight confusion.

"This is my daughter, Himawari." Naruto explained, "She'll be in the same class as you when you enter the Academy."

"Then, it'll be a girls' outing!" Sarada declared, "Since you're still tired Nozomi-chan, I'll carry you."

"Yeah." Nozomi nodded and watched as the older girl turned and knelt so that she could climb on her back. Her eyes widened slightly as she spied the image embroidered on Sarada's dress and she reached forward to touch it. "This is..."

Sarada smiled at her over her shoulder, "The Crest of the Uchiha Clan. I bet soon, you'll be wearing it too."

"Yeah!" Nozomi said happily as she climbed onto Sarada's back, "Mama says that to be a clan means to be one, big family! I'm glad I get to call you my family from now on, Sarada-neechan!"

Sarada smiled happily, "Me too."

_You know the closer you get to something_

_The tougher it is to see it_

_And I'll never take it for granted_

_Let's go _

一族

"So, Aiko-san, what are you planning to do now that you're returning to Konoha?" Sai asked when the meeting resumed.

"Will you be joining the Police Force?" A man named Fuuma Kotaro asked. "I seem to recall that both of your parents were prominent members."

At that, Aiko snorted, "_Most_ of the clan was on the Police Force when I was small-actually, the clan _was_ the police force-but I don't want to be pigeonholed like my parents were. To be perfectly honest, being on the Police Force was a complete waste of their abilities. My mother was a Special Jounin whose talent for behavioral analysis was second-to-none. During the Third War, she worked closely with Nara Shikaku to analyze enemy strategies and formulate counter strategies. Her opinion was so trusted and her insight so valued that Yondaime made her his advisor when he became the Hokage. Unfortunately, when the Kyuubi incident occurred on the night of Lord Seventh's birth, Shimura Danzō set my mother up by fueling a rumor that she had leaked information about where his birth was taking place, just as he set the clan up by fueling the rumor that we were responsible for the attack. People believed that lie because the clan didn't actively partake in the battle, never knowing that it was Danzō himself who held us back. Well, not that I think it would've mattered. The exponential growth in my cousin Obito's abilities following his disappearance in the war means that it was unlikely that anyone in the clan could've overpowered his visual prowess in order to get things under control. As a result of the rumors against her, Sandaime had no choice but to dismiss her when he resumed leadership of the village. As for my father... he was a specialist in gathering information, and after awakening his Sharingan during the war, there was hardly anybody that he couldn't impersonate and no place that he couldn't infiltrate, but there was absolutely no room for him to use those abilities after he was forced to become a member of the Police Force when the war ended. The best Fugaku-ojisan could do was to have him search a suspect's memories using genjutsu, which was his specialty." She clenched her fists at the memories, "I will not share in my parents' fate. There's nothing wrong with a member of the Uchiha joining the Police Force in the future if they should _want_ to, but I expect that from now on, we'll be given the same freedom in the matter as every other shinobi of Konoha."

"Of course." Naruto assured her.

"Ever since Danzō's actions came to light, Naruto, Kakashi, and I have been dedicated to avoiding and rectifying the mistakes of the past." Tsunade added.

Aiko nodded in acknowledgment, "That being said, Lord Seventh and I have already discussed this matter. I will be joining the Scientific Research Division in order to learn everything I can about the Sharingan. There is so much that even the Sage of Six Paths didn't understand about it. The... ahem... theories presented by Lord Second are way off. The reality is that we know very little—next to nothing, really—and I believe that this particular subject is one that can only be properly researched by somebody who actually possesses the Sharingan. The education in psychology that I received from my mother should prove useful as well, since the one thing we do know is that the Sharingan and the heart are closely connected."

"That's certainly true." Amai said with a nod. "Itachi-kun's Sharingan tended to be constantly active when I first met him. He claimed that it was because of his poor eyesight, but the reality was that his eyes reflected the turmoil in his heart. As skilled as he was at concealing his emotions, his eyes revealed the truth. Fortunately, for some reason or another, most of the Akatsuki never realized that." She chuckled softly, "He was very surprised when I called him on it."

"And what about you, Amai?" Kakashi asked. "What do you intend to do, now that you'll be living in Konoha?"

"I've been thinking about that." Amai replied as she looked down at her clasped hands thoughtfully, "My first inclination was to open a cafe. To be honest, that's what I've done for nearly my entire life and it's all I've ever known. However, I've come to realize that I've never actually explored other options because there weren't that many available, and I've realized that I actually don't want to spend my entire life running a tea house. I've given it a great deal of thought and actually... I've decided that I would like to work in the Children's Mental Health Clinic that Sakura-chan established when the twins were small." The look in her eyes turned bittersweet, "Both Itachi-kun and I suffered greatly because of the things we witnessed as children. We were both only thirteen when I lost my family and he was forced to..." She closed her eyes and shook her head before continuing, "Regardless of how skilled we were, we were still only children, and we were forced to survive in the darkness of the world on our own, as were Sasuke-kun and Lord Seventh. In the case of my husband and I... neither of us had anybody that we could trust and rely on for support... at least not until we met each other. Itachi-kun was my light, the one who saved me from the darkness, literally and figuratively. I couldn't do anything to save him from his illness, but... Now that I'm here, in the village that he loved, I want to be a light for others. My husband was truly a kind and gentle person who spared the lives of others whenever he was able. I can't think of a greater way to honor his memory than to help children who are suffering as we did and... I'm not sure any occupation could bring me greater joy than to give those children what he gave to me... Hope." She looked over at Sakura and smiled, "I admit that you'll have to teach me from the ground up, since I don't really know anything about this particular field, but... I hope you will have me."

Sakura smiled, "Of course! I'd be happy to have you at the clinic! Now that I think about it, you may be able to help the kids in the orphanage too. Kabuto is supposed to be bringing me a report on their progress in a few days. I'll ask him what he thinks."

"Yeah." Amai said with a nod.

"So Aiko is joining the Research Division as a special jounin and Amai-san will be working at the Kids Clinic then." Shikamaru surmised.

"As for the twins, I'll need to be able to observe their skills or at least have Kakashi-Sensei or somebody from the Academy assess them." Naruto added, "It's an important part of forming any genin team."

Aiko snorted in amusement, "While I don't doubt you, good luck with _that_ endeavor. These two are every inch Itachi-niichan's kids and Lord Third never had much luck in finding teammates for him. Izumo Tenma was a good enough fit, even if his relationship with Itachi-niichan was on the awkward side, but the other member of his first team straight up quit shortly after Tenma-san's death, and half of her reason for that was Itachi-niichan's talent. As for his second team, well, I honestly do not _want _to know _how _Danzou managed to get a member of Root assigned to it."

Naruto and the others all sweat-dropped.

* * *

Whew. Got a little more done on this. I really hope that I don't need to go and change things around after the current arc of Boruto ends. ^^;


	8. Home

"Actually, I think Aiko-chan should rest for a bit." Sakura said. "I don't know much about the strain of using the Sharingan during pregnancy, but even if I did, she went so far as to use her Mangekyō Sharingan. Eternal or not, there's literally no data on how that might affect her in her current state. She and the baby seemed fine when I examined her at Naruto's house earlier, but I would still recommend that she get some rest and wait until tomorrow to do much else."

Naruto nodded, "In that case, let's pick up Nozomi and Sarada and head to where you're staying."

"Ah, about that..." Shikamaru said, "I assigned Teams 5, 10, 15, 25, and 40 to fulfill the housing requests that you two put in. They're over in the new Uchiha District, near Sakura and Sasuke's house."

"Sarada took Nozomi and Himawari to have sweets at the tea house, so let's head over there to find them." The Orange Hokage stated, and everyone else agreed.

一族

The group of adults found the three girls in the New City. Sarada was carrying a sleeping Nozomi on her back, and Himawari had a shopping bag. Her face lit up upon seeing her father and she ran over to Naruto. "Papa!"

"Hey, Himawari!" Naruto said with a smile, catching his daughter in his arms and lifting her up, much to Himawari's delight.

"She fell back asleep almost as soon as we finished eating." Sarada told Aiko as she brought Nozomi over to her.

Aiko smiled sadly as she took her daughter from Sarada. "She must be exhausted. Thanks for looking after her."

"Sure!" Sarada said with a smile.

"What's in the bag, Hima?" Naruto asked.

"This?" Himawari replied as she held up the bag, "We bought a present for Nozomi to cheer her up."

Naruto smiled softly at his kindhearted daughter. "I see. That was thoughtful of you."

"So where are we going now?" Sarada asked.

"We're heading to the Uchiha Neighborhood." Sakura told her.

"We have a neighborhood?" Sarada asked dubiously.

"Well we do if you count three houses in relative proximity to each other a neighborhood." Sakura replied with a sweat-drop.

"Hey, that reminds me, I've been meaning to ask, can we get a cat?!" Her daughter asked eagerly.

"Please, get her one." Boruto said as he walked up with Mitsuki and Kawaki, "Otherwise, she's gonna keep dragging me to Mitsuki's place just so she can play with Mikadzuki."

At that, Aiko burst out laughing, catching nearly everyone by surprise. "Oh, no doubt about this one!" The brunette laughed, "She is _definitely_ an Uchiha!"

Sakura and Amai both laughed as well.

"Somehow, I don't think that there was _ever_ any doubt!" Amai chuckled, leaving the kids feeling very confused.

一族

The little group arrived at the place where Amai and Aiko's new houses had been built. Contrary to Sasuke and Sakura's house, Amai and Aiko's homes were built in the more traditional style, due to both of them having lived in such dwellings for basically their entire lives.

Covered in dirt, paint, and various other construction materials were fifteen genin and their various instructors, although Sai and Hanabi had to make their way over to their own teams.

"Hey guys!" Naruto greeted the five teams, "Thanks for coming out and working so hard today! Let me introduce you to the other two families who will be living in this area from now on. This is Uchiha Aiko, and her daughter Nozomi, and this is Uchiha Amai and her kids, Dango and Tamana."

"Huh?" Inojin said in surprise, "But I thought that Sarada and Sasuke-san were the only Uchiha left?"

"It's been a closely guarded secret for many years that there were other survivors." Shikamaru explained. "Aiko is Sasuke's cousin, who moved away from Konoha before the tragedy, and Amai-san is the widow of Sasuke's older brother, Itachi."

At that, Morino Ibiki's eyes widened, "Itachi was married? And had _kids_?!"

Amai laughed awkwardly, "Unfortunately, the twins weren't born until after the war, so Itachi-kun never got the chance to meet them, and we were married for less than five years, but..." She looked down with a sentimental smile, "I don't regret those years in the slightest."

"I've always been curious, considering the bounty on his head, how did you two manage to keep your marriage a secret?" Sai asked.

"You're just _now_ asking that?" Sakura asked with a sweat-drop.

This time, Amai looked both amused and nostalgic, "Well it helped that my village liked to remain ignorant of the outside world. Beyond that, we were always very careful. Itachi-kun's mission required that he always portray himself as indifferent and uncaring about basically everything. To that end, it was easy for him to act detached toward me in public, and I accepted that. It was only when we were certain we were alone that he would show his true self to me, and even then, only because, in his own words, I had an ability to see through him. The Akatsuki thought that his interest in me was purely biological, and I was fine with that. It wasn't the most flattering picture to paint of our relationship, but then, every aspect of my husband's life was a carefully painted picture if you will. I knew it was for my sake as well as his, so I didn't raise a fuss about it. I suspect that the only person who knew the truth was Obito, but he had a strange talent for finding out the things that Itachi-kun tried to keep hidden. Thus, anyone who might've thought of targeting me thought it a pointless endeavor. Either that, or they were afraid."

"Afraid?" Hanabi asked, and Amai laughed nervously.

"Well, there is a chance it reached the underworld that the one person who operated on the assumption that Itachi-kun only cared for my body and attempted to act on that information to take advantage of me... mysteriously disappeared without a trace."

Sakura sweat-dropped, "What do you mean he 'disappeared'?"

"I mean they never found the body because there wasn't one to find."

Only Hanabi, Moegi, and Udon, along with the various genin, were surprised by this statement, and the bluntness with which Amai had said it, but the ebony haired woman either didn't notice or didn't care.

"One kind of Shinobi was this guy?" Kawaki asked, not having any real knowledge of Itachi.

"One of the strongest of his time." Naruto answered, "A great hero of the Hidden Leaf."

Kawaki seemed intrigued by Naruto's high regard for the man in question, but Aiko placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's kind of a difficult subject to discuss in detail." She told him. The boy raised a brow at that, and a slightly awkward silence reigned over the group.

"Uh... right then!" Moegi said, trying to change the subject, "No sense in lazing about! Let's help these guys move their stuff into their new homes!"

"Huh?" Shikadai said in annoyance, "But we've been working _all day."_

Moegi responded by tugging on his ear, "And you'll keep working until everything is properly arranged. No complaints! _You're _not the one who literally built these houses from the ground up! Plus, Inojin and Sai-san did all the work in painting the doors, so now it's time you and Chouchou did some _actual work!"_

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow Inojin again." Sai told her, "We need to paint the crests on their houses."

"Go ahead." Moegi nodded.

As the other genin moved to get to work, Tsubaki, who was a samurai from the Land of Iron partaking in an exchange program, couldn't help but notice Amai's tanto, which she had moved to her hip, using a loop on her hakama to hold it in place. "Hm? Obasan, do you practice kenjutsu?" She asked in surprise. Amai smiled at her.

"That's right." She said, "I first learned kenjutsu from my father when I was child, and then my husband helped me to refine my skills after we met. I'm also capable of making a sword out of my own chakra, but this tanto was a gift from my husband. He was worried about my safety if I ever became pregnant, which I eventually did." She chuckled slightly, "Well, obviously, since the twins are here."

"I didn't even know Itachi-san knew kenjutsu." Sakura remarked.

"It was a requirement for the ANBU, but it wasn't his specialty." Amai explained, "He was still better than I was though." She giggled as she remembered something.

"What is it?" Sarada asked in curiosity.

"Oh nothing." Amai said with amused smile, "It's better if I don't say." Sarada scrunched up her nose at the contradictory statements.

"Hey, what is this?" Wasabi asked in curiosity as she picked up a wooden box with some dried flowers stored inside of it.

Amai smiled fondly as she walked over. "Ah. That is one of my greatest treasures." She told Wasabi. "Itachi-kun sent me these forget-me-nots during the war."

"But... how was he even in the war?" Boruto asked.

"Ah. It's a long story, but... he was under Edotensei at the time." She answered.

"Edotensei?" Boruto asked in confusion.

"We learned about it in the Academy." Sarada reminded him, "It's a kinjutsu used to revive people who are dead."

"Yes." Her aunt said with a nod, "A lot of sad things happened during the war, but some good things happened too. Because of that jutsu, Itachi-kun wound up contributing greatly to the efforts of the Alliance, and he was able to save a comrade who had lost his way. That comrade still continues to do important work for the village, even today." Amai smiled down at the box of flowers, "I was staying with a civilian family in the Land of Honey during the war, but the afternoon before things came to a head, one of Itachi-kun's crows brought these flowers to me. To me, his message was clear: 'I love you. Please don't ever forget me.' I understood that he couldn't come to me in person at that time, but to know that he was thinking about me, even then, filled me with joy. By that time, I was five months pregnant with the twins, so I sent him a sprig of baby's breath in reply. I don't know if he understood my meaning... but I hope he did." She smiled nostalgically to herself and looked up at the sky, singing in a beautiful, clear voice, "All of the kind words you gave to me are still here in my heart... Ev'ry time that I was lonely you would come wrap me in your arms..." Everyone stopped to listen to the song of sweet memories. "Even though we had sad experiences, the two of us also shared the enjoyment of the early spring together... Before our time came to an end, I searched for the words that—I wanted to give to just you, and you alone... 'Thank you for everything'. I simply repeated that. It's fine if that's the only thing that reaches your heart, my dear..." A gentle breeze blew past, causing Amai's hakama to flutter and lifting loose strands of her hair as she stared at the sky, creating a beautiful picture of the woman who was still in love with her late husband—and yet, was at peace with his death—as she stared serenely at the blue sky above her. "Somehow, more than my heart draws on the sky in the distance—And passes along my smile to you, my dear. Similar to traces of the spring starting to vanish—if I can manage to softly leave only warmth... inside of... that heart, then I'll..." The breeze settled to only a breath as Amai clasped her hand to her heart. "Smile... for... you..." She finished softly. Suddenly Amai's reverie was interrupted by a sniffle, and she turned and looked to find that ChouChou had a river of tears flowing down her cheeks. "What's the matter, Chouchou-chan?"

"Nothing ma'am." Chouchou answered, "I just hope that someday, I'll find a love as beautiful as the one you had with Sarada's uncle."

Amai smiled warmly. "Just remember that every love story has its share of hardship. It's the ability to withstand those storms that proves the love to be true. It's different from a silly crush. Without a doubt, Itachi-kun was a handsome man, but I was never the type to be enticed by such superficial things as one's appearance."

"It's the quality of the person on the inside that matters, right?" Mitsuki asked.

Amai nodded to him in approval. "Exactly." She placed a hand on Chouchou's head, "You don't need to worry about finding love just yet. You're still young. Itachi-kun and I didn't meet until we were fifteen. For some, love is right by their side their entire lives, and for others, it comes when one least expects. The important thing is to treasure those who are by your side and there to support you."

一族

It was nearing sunset when all of the Uchiha's belongings had been moved into their new houses. Aiko had ended up taking a nap in Sasuke and Sakura's house just so she wouldn't be bothered by all the noise. Now that she was up and everything was settled, there was one more thing she wanted to do.

"I realize it's getting late, but could you guys show me where the training ground is?" She asked Sasuke and Sarada, "Ninjutsu will become harder to use as my pregnancy goes on, but allowing my shuriken jutsu to get rusty is not an option."

"Sure!" Sarada exclaimed happily, "I'll show you to my favorite training spot for shuriken."

"If we're doing shuriken training, then I'm coming too. I haven't gotten to practice all day." Tamana said.

"Aiko-basan did most of the fighting earlier, so I wouldn't mind moving around a little either." Dango agreed, holding his katana in his hand.

Sarada beamed. "Come on! I'll show you the way!" She led the group to a training ground that was along the Nakano River. Aiko looked around with interest.

"So much of the village's geography has changed since I was little. Of course, that's partly because the village was made into a crater when I was sixteen and I'm sure it took a crazy amount of Doton to try and restore things." She remarked.

"I read about that." Sarada said.

"So this is the target range you usually use?" Tamana asked, more interested in training for the moment.

"Yeah." Sarada said as she pushed her glasses up before pointing to a target on a log that was floating in the river, tied to a post. "That target is the hardest. I haven't mastered it yet."

"Oh..." Tamana said with interest. In the next instant, she whipped out a shuriken and threw it, striking the target dead center. Sarada gaped at her cousin's skill.

"Neesan, that's amazing!" She exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

Tamana smiled at the younger girl, "You'll start throwing like that very soon, Sarada."

Sasuke was taken aback. In that moment, the two girls instantly reminded him of himself and Itachi. Itachi had said the exact same thing to him once. He couldn't help but notice that Tamana had her father's smile.

Aiko smiled as she stood by his side. "That's a nostalgic sight, isn't it?" She said, "Sarada-chan's face looks just the way yours would whenever Itachi-niichan showed you something new."

"Yeah."

"Oh, and let me show you a trick, Sarada." Tamana said. She suddenly yanked upward on a wire that Sarada hadn't noticed and her shuriken came flying back into her hand. She winked at the younger girl, "Hit or miss, it makes for easier retrieval when aiming at a target like that one."

"Oh! That's a great idea, Neesan! I'll have to remember that." Sarada said happily.

Boruto grinned awkwardly with his hands behind his head, "I feel like the girls are showing us up." He looked at Dango, "Niichan, are you good at shuriken too?"

"Yeah, but not as good as Tamana." Dango replied, "She's put way more practice into it than me, because she loves it so much. My specialty is kenjutsu, which I learned from Kaasan. That reminds me..." He looked up at Sasuke. "I was hoping you might spar with me, Sasuke-jisan. Kaasan thinks that I might be better off to start training with you, although I'm not convinced that she has nothing left to teach me. She always sells herself short when it comes to how good she actually is."

"Sure." Sasuke replied, walking with Dango to where there was enough space.

Meanwhile, Aiko walked over and began her shuriken training while Boruto watched Sasuke and his nephew with interest, hoping that Sasuke might start teaching him to use a sword someday. She couldn't help smiling to herself.

They were finally home.

* * *

Although I never intended on making the story this long, it's still not done. I've got a few more things to cover. :)


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